MILAN: World number one Novak Djokovic says he cannot guarantee he will not make a similar mistake that led to his disqualification at the US Open for striking a line judge with a ball but he remains confident it will not affect his tennis in the future. "I cannot promise or cannot guarantee that I will never ever do anything similar to that in my life," Djokovic told a news conference at the Italian Open on Monday.
"I'm trying to be the best version of myself on the court and off the court and I understand that I have outbursts and this is kind of the personality and the player that I have always been.
"I'm going to take this in as profound as possible for me as a big lesson."
Following the incident, the tournament organisers confirmed Djokovic was fined $250,000 -- his prize money for reaching round four. The 33-year-old was also fined an additional $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
"There was a lot of speculation about whether it was deserved. I accepted it, I moved on," Djokovic added. "Of course I didn't forget about it, I don't think I'll ever forget about it."
The disqualification, however, gave Djokovic more time to regroup before his claycourt opener at this week's Italian Open. ss
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