Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur has withdrawn from Wimbledon 2024 due to a hip injury, allowing Novak Djokovic to advance to the semi-finals. De Minaur, who sustained the injury during his fourth-round match against Arthur Fils, expressed his disappointment but acknowledged the risk of worsening the injury if he played.
De Minaur stated, “I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils, and the scan confirmed the injury. I wanted to play, but one wrong move could extend the recovery time from weeks to months.”
Djokovic, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, will now face either Taylor Fritz or Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals. This marks Djokovic’s 13th semi-final appearance at Wimbledon, equaling Roger Federer’s record in the Open Era.
Djokovic’s path to the semi-finals has been marked by controversy and physical challenges. His fourth-round victory over Holger Rune ended in a heated moment with the crowd, leading to John McEnroe labeling him the “Darth Vader” of tennis. Djokovic will look to overcome these distractions and his own injury concerns as he aims for a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title.
De Minaur’s withdrawal is a setback for the Australian, who had reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final and was looking to build on his recent success, including a quarter-final appearance at the French Open and winning the ATP grass-court title at ‘s-Hertogenbosch. He now faces a race against time to be fit for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In other Wimbledon news, Australian duo Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson have advanced to the men’s doubles semi-finals, while Matthew Ebden and Ellen Perez’s mixed doubles match has been delayed due to rain.
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