The Aussie tennis star has pulled out of his clash with Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
Alex de Minaur has been forced to withdraw from Wimbledon before his clash with Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals after he suffered a hip injury on match point of his fourth-round victory. De Minaur beat Arthur Fils 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-3 to book a quarter-final showdown with Djokovic, but the Aussie star pulled up lame and was visibly limping after producing a lunging volley to win the match.
It was announced on Wednesday night (Australian time) that de Minaur had withdrawn, handing Djokovic a walkover into the semi-finals. “Obviously not an announcement I wanted to make by any means,” the Aussie said at a press conference at the All England Club.
“Yeah, I’m devastated but had to pull out due to a hip injury. I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils and got a scan yesterday. It confirmed this was the injury and with high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court.
“It is no secret that at this stage of my career, it was the biggest match of my career. I knew the results yesterday but hoped I would wake up today and feel some sort of miracle. 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.”
Alex de Minaur was clearly injured in fourth round win
De Minaur’s celebrations were noticeably muted after he beat Fils, and he shot a worried look towards his players’ box that suggested all was not right. His coach – as well as Aussie legend Lleyton Hewitt – were both looking very concerned during the post-match interview, while girlfriend Katie Boulter also appeared to realise something was up.
Boulter was happy and jovial when de Minaur hit the winning volley, but her face soon turn downcast as she came to the realisation that he might be injured. It comes as a heartbreaking twist of fate for de Minaur that he can’t take on Djokovic in what would have been one of the biggest matches of his life.
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Djokovic later breezed past Holger Rune 6-3 6-4 6-2, further dispelling any notion that his recently repaired knee is bothering him. De Minair had said on court: “I’ll be alright. I’ll find a way.”
He later clarified he had “jarred” his hip and it was “a little bit ‘ginger'”, but added: “It’s probably a little bit of a scare more than anything. I’m feeling pretty decent. I’ve done my recovery. I’m sure I’ll be feeling great tomorrow. I’m super proud of myself to be in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. You can count on me going out there, trying my hardest and playing my heart out.”
Fans were left shattered for de Minaur, with many pointing out his ‘concerning’ and ‘awful’ reaction after winning on Monday. Others bemoaned the fact that Djokovic gets easy passage into the semis.
