Alex Michelsen got away with the same offence Novak Djokovic was disqualified for.
For some reason, Tourte chose not to disqualify Michelsen for hitting a fan with a ball during his defeat to Lorenzo Sonego. The two players were facing off in the final of the Winston-Salem Open, taking place in North Carolina just days before the start of this year’s US Open.
After losing a point, Michelsen launched a ball into the crowd in frustration which ended up striking a spectator. He immediately recognised his mistake and looked on anxiously, with the 19-year-old worried about the potential repercussions.
However, the match was eventually allowed to continue after the fan reassured Tourte that she was okay after being checked over. Michelsen also apologised to the spectator before resuming play, with the contest ending in a 6-0 6-4 victory for Sonego.
Andy Roddick was quick to point out the double standards on display, insisting that Michelsen should have been defaulted. He also claimed that Djokovic was ‘way more unlucky’ in his situation, arguing that hitting a line judge and a spectator were equally serious offences.
“If you fire one hard and hit a fan, kinda the same to me as an umpire,” said Roddick on X, formerly Twitter. “Action the same. One just way more unlucky. Michelsen reacted like he thought he was toast.”
Djokovic was very apologetic after being disqualified from the US Open in 2020, insisting that he never meant to hit the line judge and admitting that it left him feeling ‘sad and empty’. In a statement published on Instagram, he also pledged to work on his ‘growth and evolution as a player and human being’.
