Australian tennis player, Alex De Minaur, had to withdraw from his Wimbledon quarter-final match against the number two seed, Novak Djokovic, due to a hip injury he suffered. This withdrawal ensured Djokovic’s progression into his 13th semi-final at the grass court Grand Slam, equalling the record set by Roger Federer.
Ninth-seeded De Minaur had incurred the injury during the final stages of his fourth-round victory against the French player, Arthur Fils. The scores of the four-set match were 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, and 6-3 in De Minaur’s favour.
De Minaur stated his disappointment at having to withdraw from the tournament due to his injury, which was a slight tear of the fibre cartilage that conjoins with the adductor. This injury emerged in the last part of his match against Fils when he experienced a sharp cracking sound. A subsequent scan confirmed the tear and highlighted the risk of exacerbating the injury if he were to play further.
The 25-year-old Australian player, who ranks among the top 10 in the season and has two previous Grand Slam quarter-final appearances, is now in contention to recover in time for the Olympic games. The tennis tournament at the Olympics starts at Roland Garros on July 27.
De Minaur’s unexpected exit from Wimbledon ensured that Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, matched Roger Federer’s record of featuring in 13 Wimbledon semi-finals.
Djokovic has his eyes set on equalising the record held by the tennis master from Switzerland, who boasts eight victories at the All England Club. Furthermore, the Serbian tennis ace, aged 37, is all set to compete with either Taylor Fritz from America or the 25-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in their forthcoming clash.
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