Injured Alex De Minaur Withdraws from Wimbledon Quarterfinal Against Novak Djokovic
Australia’s tennis star Alex De Minaur has withdrawn from his highly anticipated Wimbledon quarterfinal match against second seed Novak Djokovic due to a hip injury. The unexpected withdrawal propels Djokovic into a record-equalling 13th semifinal at the prestigious grasscourt Grand Slam.
De Minaur, seeded ninth, sustained the injury during the final moments of his fourth-round victory over Frenchman Arthur Fils on Monday, where he triumphed 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. The 25-year-old revealed that he felt “a loud crack” during the last three points of the match.
“I’m devastated to pull out due to a hip injury, a little tear of the fiber cartilage that connects to the adductor,” De Minaur shared. “I got a scan yesterday, and it confirmed the injury with a high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court.”
De Minaur has been enjoying his best season on the ATP Tour, having broken into the top 10 rankings. He has previously reached two Grand Slam quarterfinals, losing to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 U.S. Open and Alexander Zverev at this year’s French Open.
“I knew the results of the scan yesterday but hoped I would wake up today and feel some sort of miracle,” he admitted. “The problem with me going out and playing is one stretch, one slide, one anything can make this injury go from three-to-six weeks to four months.”
His withdrawal not only impacts his Wimbledon journey but also puts him in a race against time to be fit for the Paris Summer Olympics, with the tennis events set to begin at Roland Garros on July 27.
Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, now matches Roger Federer’s record of 13 semifinal appearances at the All England Club. The 37-year-old Serbian is also aiming to equal Federer’s tally of eight Wimbledon titles. Djokovic will next face 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who edged out the USA’s Taylor Fritz in a grueling five-set quarterfinal, winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
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Injured De Minaur pulls out of quarterfinal with Djokovic at Wimbledon
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