World No. 2 Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of Wimbledon 2024 on Wednesday without having to play his scheduled quarterfinal match.
According to Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press, Australia's Alex de Minaur withdrew from the tournament Wednesday due to a hip injury, allowing Djokovic to advance via a walkover.
De Minaur divulged Wednesday that he heard a crack near the end of his fourth-round win over Arthur Fils on Monday.
Regarding his decision to withdraw, de Minaur said: "Obviously not an announcement I wanted to make, by any means. I'm devastated."
The Aussie attempted to practice Wednesday morning in hopes that he could gut it out and play, but he noted that he could barely walk.
De Minaur also said he was told by doctors that he could potentially make the injury worse by playing, saying: "The problem with me going out and playing is that one stretch, one slide, one anything, can make this injury [recovery] go from three to six weeks to four months. It's too much to risk."
By virtue of his win, Djokovic is now in a Wimbledon semifinal for the 13th time in his career, tying the men's singles record previously held by Roger Federer.
The 37-year-old veteran is through to the Wimbledon semis for a sixth straight time.
Of Djokovic's record 24 career Grand Slam singles titles, seven of them have come at Wimbledon. If Djoker wins it all this year, he will tie Federer's all-time record of eight.
Regardless of his opponent, Djokovic will be a heavy favorite to at least reach the final, as he will face either 13th-seeded Taylor Fritz or 25th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals.
Fritz and Musetti will face off Wednesday with a semifinal spot on the line, which would be uncharted territory for both players, as neither has ever made it past the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam.
Djokovic's semifinal will be played Friday, meaning he will have three days of rest under his belt since his last match, which was a win over Holger Rune in the fourth round.
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