Not only was Alex de Minaur forced to withdraw from Wimbledon ahead of his clash with Novak Djokovic, he also appears highly likely to miss the Olympics later this month. The Aussie star announced on Wednesday night that he’d suffered a hip injury in his fourth-round victory over Arthur Fils, and wasn’t able to take the court against Djokovic.
De Minaur said he heard a ‘crack’ while lunging for a volley on match point against Fils, and scans revealed a rare injury in the hip region. The new World No.6 said doctors couldn’t give him an exact timeframe for how long he’d be out of action, but initial estimates are between three and six weeks.
With the Paris Games starting in just two weeks, it looks like his Olympic dream will be ruined once again. De Minaur opted against playing at the Tokyo Games in 2021 due to the Covid-19 situation.
“I’m devastated but I had to pull out due to a hip injury, a little tear of the fibre cartilage that kind of is at the end or connects to the adductor,” he explained. “I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils, and a scan yesterday confirmed the injury and that I was at high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court.
“They haven’t been able to give me a definite recovery time because it’s such a unique injury. Right now, it could be anywhere from three-to-six weeks out, it just depends how quickly my body heals. The problem with me going out and playing was that one stretch, one slide or one anything, could make this injury go from three to six weeks out to four months, so it was too much to risk.”
Alex de Minaur in extreme doubt for Paris Olympics
De Minaur is due to play both singles and doubles at the Olympics, but the Aussie team might need ti find a new partner for Alexei Popyrin. “It’s been two days of worrying, and waiting to see what the results showed. In the grand scheme of things, it could have been worse,” he admitted.
“I have been struggling to sleep the last couple of days. I feel it walking, just hoping I would wake up and feel it a little bit less, or that I could at least go on court. But I think it’s almost disrespectful for me not to go on the court close to 100 per cent against someone like Novak.
“This is a completely unique injury they’ve got very little research on. There’s four years worth of research, so that’s why they couldn’t give me an approximate recovery time. It’s more just hope, wait and see. I’m hoping the pain goes down with a bit of rest.
Tennis fans fume over ‘ridiculous’ Novak Djokovic development
De Minaur’s withdrawal gives Djokovic a free pass straight through to the semi-finals – and tennis fans are fuming. The World No.2 has only played one seeded player (15th seed Holger Rune) on his way to the final four, after Hubert Hurcakz (seventh) and Alexander Zverev (fourth) also suffered injuries at Wimbledon.
The 24-time grand slam champion was gifted a seemingly easier run than some of his top rivals, with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev all on the other side of the draw. Sinner beat Djokovic at the Australian Open in January, but was ill in his loss to Medvedev in the quarters at Wimbledon.
Djokovic appeared likely to face 13th seed Taylor Frirz in the semis, but the American suffered a shock loss to 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti later on Wednesday. It means Djokovic won’t have played anyone ranked below 15th in the world if he advances to the final against the winner of Alcaraz and Medvedev.
Tennis fans were quick to highlight the charmed run Djokovic has been given at Wimbledon. Some labelled it a ‘joke’ that he’s been so lucky, while others described it as ‘ridiculous’.
Musetti advanced to his first grand slam semi with a stunning 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 3-6 6-1 win over a clearly hampered Fritz. The 22-year-old said: “I probably have no words. It’s tough to speak but I’ll try. I think I didn’t realise yet what I’ve done. I want to say thanks to all the Italian crowd that’s here to support us.
“I had the opportunity to walk on this really amazing stadium, it was really an honour for me and I think I played a fantastic match. I’m really, really happy to be in my first semi-final here. It’s a magic day. After the birth of my son, I will put in the second position today. For my career, it is the best day of my life.
