Alex de Minaur has been forced to withdraw from his quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic due to a hip injury sustained against Arthur Fils in the fourth round. He got injured on the match point as he stretched for a volley. He immediately looked in pain and did not celebrate as he usually does. The look on his face after the match said it all. Djokovic gets a walkover to the semifinals where he will face the winner of the match between Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz.
Olympics Participation In Danger
De Minaur said in his press conference: “Have to pull out due to a hip injury, a tear of the cartilage that connects to the adductors. I felt a crack during the last three points. I had a scan and it confirmed it was the injury with a high risk of making it worse.” The Australian says doctors haven’t been able to tell him a specific recovery time: it could be three to six weeks. Olympics participation is clearly in danger and it’s going to be based on pain. De Minaur had to skip the 2020 Olympics due to COVID-19, but he was excited to compete in his first Olympics this year.
It’s such a shame because he was in great form and his match against Djokovic was highly anticipated. De Minaur was so close to reaching the quarterfinals back in 2022 against Cristian Garin. Now that he reached this stage, he has to withdraw without playing a single point. He has worked so hard to improve his game and reach the top 10 and later stages of the Grand Slams. De Minaur has said multiple times that grass is his favourite surface and this will be a big blow for him.
This edition of Wimbledon has been plagued with injuries and we can only hope that there are no more injuries and the business end of the tournament goes as smoothly as possible.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
