On Sunday, the top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the U.S. Open after he accidentally hit a lines judge in the neck with a ball. Now, it’s been reported that this judge has since been hit with death threats and targeted with vile comments on her social media pages.

Daily Mail reported that Kentucky-based official Laura Clark is being targeted with hateful abuse online today by the more extreme side of Djokovic’s fan base. People have been threatening to kill her, with some even referencing the death of her son, who tragically passed away in a bicycle accident back in 2008.

In a social media post dedicated to her late son, one person wrote “Don’t worry, you’ll join him soon” while another added, “hahahahahahahaha YEEEEES, YEEEEEEEES.”

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Nearly every post on Clark’s Instagram page, which dates back to 2011, have been spammed by hate comments in which fans of Djokovic accused her of play acting to get him disqualified. Clark often promotes a wine company on social media, and one person commented on that by saying, “You can drink litres of alcohol but cannot survive small tennis ball?? Bad acting. Shameless.”

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Back in 2014, Clark said that she had once had a lip busted by a 130mph serve at a tournament in Louisville.

“The only times we are seen by the people are during our mess-ups. Period,” she said. “The first time you are on a big court it is terrifying, and it is the coolest, most terrifying experience in the whole world. You are shaking so hard and you’re sure they can see you shaking.”

She also expressed sympathies for the top tennis players and the pressures they face, saying there are “no calls that are not significant.”

Djokovic issued an apology on Sunday night for what happened.

“This whole situation has left me really sad and empty,” he said. “I checked on the lines person and the tournament told me that thank God she is feeling ok. I’m extremely sorry to have caused her such stress. So unintended. So wrong.”

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Canadian player Denis Shapovalov, who was disqualified from a 2017 David Cup match for accidentally hitting a ball into a linesman’s eye, expressed sympathy for Djokovic.

“I’ve been through that myself. Honestly, I feel awful for him. I feel terrible for everybody. Nobody wants to be in this situation,” Shapovalov said, according to The New York Post. “Just a fluke. It’s accidents like this that happen. Same thing with me.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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