Novak Djokovic given free pass to Wimbledon semi-final with Alex de Minaur 'devastated' by withdrawal
Alex de Minaur has been forced to pull out of Wimbledon
PA
Novak Djokovic has been given a free pass to the semi-finals of Wimbledon after opponent Alex de Minaur was forced to withdraw from the competition.
The 25-year-old reached the last eight with victory over Arthur Fils earlier in the week, coming through after a tight four-set affair.
However, de Minaur suffered an injury on the last point of that match - with the Australian damaging his hip.
Now, the 25-year-old has been forced to withdraw - with Djokovic getting a free pass to the next round.
Alex de Minaur has been forced to pull out of Wimbledon
PA
De Minaur sustained a hip injury after volleying the winner against Fils on Monday, meaning his celebrations were muted as a result.
He hobbled over to his opponent in the aftermath of that win but insisted he'd be fit to face Djokovic, despite clearly being in pain.
Djokovic previously beat De Minaur at the Australian Open last year.
But the 25-year-old has now been denied the chance to avenge that defeat, much to his dismay.
He said: "Obviously not an announcement I wanted to make by any means. I'm devastated.
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"I had to pull out due to hip injury - a little tear of the fibre cartilage that is at the end and connects to the abductor.
"I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils.
"I got a scan yesterday and it confirmed this was the injury.
"I had high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court. It's devastating, I'm not going to beat around the bush.
"I knew as soon as I felt that pop that something bad had happened.
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"It's been two days of worrying and waiting to see.
"In the grand scheme of things it could've been worse, I'm trying to hold on to that."
He added: "I gave myself a chance and warmed up as early as possible so I knew as early as possible what my decision was going to be.
"I didn't see Novak at the courts, I saw his manager and I just let him know.
"I haven't seen Novak yet."
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Alex de Minaur has admitted he's 'devastated' by his withdrawal from Wimbledon
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With De Minaur being forced to withdraw, Djokovic will now face either Taylor Fritz or Lorenzo Musetti in the last four.
The two men will face off on Court One with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Novak Djokovic has been given a free pass to the semi-finals of Wimbledon
PA
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will contest the other semi, which will commence on Friday.
Alcaraz beat Tommy Paul in four sets earlier this week, with Medvedev eliminating Jannik Sinner after a five-set thriller.