Novak Djokovic is through to the semifinals at Wimbledon without so much as a swing of his racket after Australian tennis pro Alex de Minaur withdrew from their quarterfinal match up with an injury.
De Minaur announced the news during a press conference on Wednesday, revealing that a hip injury forced his hand.
“Obviously not an announcement I wanted to make by any means,” he told the media. “I’m devastated, but I had to pull out due to a hip injury — a little tear of the fiber cartilage that connects to the abductor.”
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De Minaur said he sustained the injury during his Round of 16 match against Arthur Fils on Monday, noting that he felt a “loud crack” during the final three points of the match.
“It’s no secret that this, at this stage of my career, was the biggest match of my career.”
“The problem with me going out and playing is that one stretch, one slide, one anything, can make this injury (recovery) go from three to six weeks to four months,” he added. “It’s too much to risk.”
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The withdrawal hands Djokovic his 13th semifinal appearance at Wimbledon — tying Roger Federer for the most by a man in tournament history.
He will face Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, who is appearing in his first Grand Slam semifinal after defeating Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
“He probably knows better than me the surface and the stadium, for sure,” Musetti joked of his opponent during an on court interview after the match. He said the two have previously faced each other, which he described as always being a “huge” challenge.
Djokovic had knee surgery less than a month before the start of play at the All England Club after injuring it on the clay courts at the French Open. Despite the setback, the 37-year-old Djokovic has dropped only two sets so far.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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