Novak Djokovic was tantalizingly close to hitting a ball girl during his Australian Open clash against Botic van de Zandschulp. The Serb is aiming for an 11th title and a record 25th Grand Slam at the ongoing Melbourne Major.
Novak Djokovic’s Controversial Moment During Australian Open 3R Clash
Djokovic started his match well and won the opening set 6-4. He was leading 4-2 in the second set when the controversial moment occurred.
Van de Zandschulp was serving for the game when he double-faulted. Djokovic smashed the ball out of play after it was out and it nearly hit a ball girl. The Serb swiftly made a gesture of apology towards the ball girl and was not given a warning by chair umpire John Blom.
Novak Djokovic nearly hit a ballkid while smashing the ball away against Botic Van de Zandschulp.
Had it hit the ballkid he would be looking at a possible disqualification..
Umpire didn’t give out a warning.pic.twitter.com/0l9SjKAECX
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp) January 24, 2026
 Play resumed soon after and Van de Zandschulp won the game. However, Djokovic’s earlier break proved decisive as he went on to win the set 6-4 and consolidate his grip on the match.
Had the ball hit the ball girl, Djokovic might have been disqualified. The Serb is no stranger to a controversy like this, as seen during the 2020 US Open. While facing Pablo Carreño Busta, he hit the ball angrily and it hit a line umpire. This caused Djokovic to be defaulted from the match.
The Serb has played dominantly so far during the Australian Open, winning both of his matches against Pedro MartÃnez and Francesco Maestrelli by a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. He also took out Van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(4) and will next face either 16th seed Jakub Mensik or Ethan Quinn in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
