De Minaur ‘devastated’ after Wimbledon quarter-final withdrawal

Australia’s Alex de Minaur was forced to withdraw from his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon on Wednesday, with a hip injury keeping him from walking on court.

The world No.7 had raced past France’s Arthur Fils in four sets in the round of 16, but he suffered an injury while reaching for the match-winning volley.

As such, Djokovic now receives a walkover into the semi-finals, boosting his outright odds to $2.25 to win the tournament.

De Minaur ‘felt a loud crack’

De Minaur explained to media after the announcement of his withdrawal that his injury was serious and playing would risk worsening his condition.

“I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils,” he explained.

“I have to pull out due to a hip injury, a little tear of the fibrocartilage that is at the end or connects to the adductor.

“I got a scan [on Tuesday] and it confirmed that this was the injury and with high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court.”

This was de Minaur’s first time making it to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, with the Australian bitterly disappointed to miss out on what he described as the biggest match of his career.

“It’s devastating, I haven’t really been able to enjoy what I’ve achieved this week because I knew once I felt that pop, I knew something bad had happened,” de Minaur continued.

“It’s no secret that at this stage this was the biggest match of my career. I wanted to do anything I could to play.”

Djokovic poised for record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title

This time last month, few expected Djokovic to play Wimbledon, let alone make it this far, due to a knee injury suffered at the French Open.

Now, he is in prime position to capture an eighth title in London and move level with Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon trophies lifted.

With a walkover in the quarter-finals, Djokovic receives a full three days’ rest between his round-of-16 match and upcoming semi-final.

In the last four, he will square off against Lorenzo Musetti, where he is a $1.12 favourite to win with online bookmakers.

The Italian is playing great tennis this tournament, but he’s playing in a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time and trails Djokovic 5-1 in their head-to-head record.

All signs are pointing towards Djokovic facing off against Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, with the Spaniard paying $1.28 to win his semi-final against Daniil Medvedev.

This would be a rematch of the 2023 final, which Alcaraz won in five sets.

Tennis bookmakers have Alcaraz as the narrow favourite to claim the title, but these odds could well shift based on the nature of their respective semi-finals.

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