Djokovic into Wimbledon semi-finals after ‘devastated’ De Minaur pulls out

Novak Djokovic advanced to the Wimbledon semi-finals without playing a match on Wednesday. His opponent, Australian player Alex de Minaur, had to withdraw due to a hip injury. Djokovic, a seven-time champion, will now have extra rest before his next match.

De Minaur, who was ranked ninth, got injured on Monday after defeating French player Arthur Fils. He originally thought he would be able to continue playing, but when he tried to practice on Wednesday, he only lasted less than 10 minutes before realizing the risk of aggravating the injury was too great.

"I'm heartbroken," De Minaur expressed. "I have to withdraw because of a hip injury, a small tear in the fibrocartilage that is located at the end or attaches to the adductor."

In my recent match against Fils, I heard a loud crack during the final three points. I underwent a scan yesterday, which revealed that I have an injury with a high risk of exacerbating it if I were to continue playing on the court.

De Minaur, who is 25 years old, must be feeling very disappointed. This is his first time making it to the quarter-finals here, and he had also reached the last eight at the French Open just last month.

"It's really upsetting. I haven't been able to fully appreciate my accomplishments this week because as soon as I heard that popping sound, I knew something serious had occurred," he explained.

"In the bigger picture, the situation could have been more severe, so I'm trying to focus on that positive aspect."

De Minaur shared that he has been having trouble sleeping and experiences pain when walking. Doctors have informed him that his recovery may take three to six weeks, but they are not very optimistic due to the severity of the injury.

"I am unable to provide a concrete recovery plan because this injury is quite unusual," the Australian stated. "It really depends on my pain level. Currently, it could take anywhere from three to six weeks for me to heal, depending on how fast my body recovers."

Everyone knows that this was the most important match of my career so far. I was determined to do whatever it took to play. I received the results yesterday and knew what they were, but I was hoping for some kind of miracle when I woke up today. However, one wrong move could turn this injury from three to six weeks into four months, so it's not worth the risk.

Djokovic, aiming to clinch his 25th grand slam title, will have a couple of days rest before facing the victor of Friday's match between the 13th seeded Taylor Fritz from the US and the Italian player, Lorenzo Musetti, seeded at number 25.

Djokovic has reached his 13th Wimbledon semi-final, tying the record, as he aims for his eighth title.