As arguably the greatest tennis player in history, Novak Djokovic is accustomed to being in exclusive company when measuring on-court achievements.
On Sunday, though, he joined a select club he would rather not be associated with, and while many of his Hall-of-Fame milestones have taken years to accumulate, this Hall-of-Shame incident was achieved with one fateful swing of his racquet.
Djokovic, who appeared agitated throughout his US Open fourth round match against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta, had just been broken at 5-6 in the first set.
Frustration and absent-mindedness set in and as he sauntered back to his chair, he hit a ball, no look, with a fair amount of power toward the back court. It could have landed anywhere, but with customary pinpoint accuracy, it struck a line judge direct on the throat.
The line judge dropped to the ground and Djokovic went over to offer some assistance and an apology, but surely even he knew his fate was sealed.
After a lengthy discussion between tournament officials and the umpire - with Djokovic pleading his case - the call was made: the match was defaulted, the 33-year-old Serb becoming just the ninth player in the Open era to be disqualified during a match.
He made a swift exit from Arthur Ashe Stadium, bypassed his media duties, and uploaded a statement on social media.
"I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok," Djokovic wrote. "I'm extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong."
Just like that, his perfect 26-0 record for the year came to an end after the latest misguided saga in an image-bashing year for the 17-time Grand Slam champion.
A year that, until March, was motoring along nicely. An inaugural ATP Cup triumph with Serbia, an eighth Australian Open title and fifth in Dubai led to talk of Djokovic going unbeaten all season. The focus was, quite rightly, on his tennis exploits.
Then the coronavirus pandemic struck; tennis - and indeed the world - shut down and a renewed sense of perspective was gained by all.
Djokovic and his wife Jelena took action, donating €1 million (Dh4m) towards medical devices and supplies in their native Serbia. Here was a wealthy and high-profile figure using his platform for good. He also led discussions in ways to raise funds for lower ranked players severely affected by the absence of tournament prize money.
But then came the ill-fated Adria Tour and its ensuing chaos. Djokovic hit out at critics for launching a "witch-hunt" and refused to accept responsibility for staging a series in the midst of a pandemic - even if no rules were broken.
And that there is why his public image has taken such a hit. The Adria Tour, the US Open disqualification, even the new players' association which has been an unwelcome distraction in New York - it can be assumed Djokovic's actions do not come with any malicious intent. However, when those actions prove to be misguided, the perceived lack of self-awareness and inability to accept responsibility have been unflattering.
Djokovic's public image is an interesting paradox. An athlete who has spent years trying to earn the affection of tennis crowds often plays his best when the support is weighted against him.
Perhaps then he should, as John McEnroe suggested, embrace the bad boy image. After all, tennis greatness is what Djokovic craves above all else and while his image has taken another dent, it's on-court success that matters to him most.
As Djokovic has proved time and again, doubts and criticism only fuel his ambition - and with criticism hitting a crescendo, that is ominous for his rivals.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
England Test squad
Ben Stokes (captain), Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts
The specs
Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm
Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto
Price: From Dh139,995
On sale: now
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
