LONDON — There’s no single explanation, of course, for all of the injuries to players in the latter stages at Wimbledon this year.
This much is certain: The timing could hardly be worse.
No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic, whose record 24 Grand Slam men’s singles titles include seven on the grass of the All England Club, was supposed to face No. 9 Alex de Minaur on Wednesday. Hours before their scheduled quarterfinal, though, de Minaur withdrew because of a hip injury sustained at the end of a victory two days earlier.
De Minaur had tried to remain optimistic, and he practiced Wednesday morning before deciding he wouldn’t be able to take the competition court.
“I’m devastated,” de Minaur said. “The problem with me going out and playing is that one stretch, one slide, one anything can make this injury go from three to six weeks (of recovery) to four months. It’s too much to risk.”