Novak Djokovic advanced to his 13th Wimbledon semi-final, matching Roger Federer’s record, without playing a match on Wednesday after Alex de Minaur withdrew due to injury. De Minaur, the 25-year-old Australian ninth seed, announced his withdrawal at the All England Club around noon, expressing his devastation over a hip injury. This advancement also marks Djokovic’s record-extending 49th men’s Grand Slam semi-final appearance. De Minaur, who had previously defeated Djokovic at the United Cup in January, expressed his disappointment, stating that this would have been the biggest match of his career but the risk of worsening his unique injury was too high. He hoped for a miracle recovery but recognized that playing could have extended his recovery time from a few weeks to several months
Djokovic will face either the US 13th seed Taylor Fritz or the Italian 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti for a spot in Sunday’s final. Despite being the world number two, Djokovic has yet to win a title this year and is still looking for his first victory against a top-10 player. However, his chances for a record 25th Grand Slam title are looking promising after he defeated Holger Rune in straight sets in the fourth round. His dominant performance at Wimbledon is particularly noteworthy given that he recently underwent knee surgery following an injury at the French Open..
Rybakina, the only former women’s champion remaining in the Wimbledon draw, secured her 18th win out of 20 matches at the All England Club. The Russian-born Kazakh player has joined Ann Jones and Steffi Graf as the only women in the Open Era with a 90% win rate in singles. Reflecting on her approach, the fourth seed noted that her mindset is different from when she won her first and only Grand Slam title in 2022. She admitted to still feeling a bit nervous on the court but now enjoys playing more with her gained experience.
Rybakina’s next opponent is 21st-seed Elina Svitolina, who was visibly emotional after her victory over China’s Wang Xinyu on Monday, a match that took place amidst the tragic news of numerous deaths in her native Ukraine due to Russian missile strikes
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“I’m playing in such an amazing event as Wimbledon,” Svitolina said. “I want to think about how I can use this to help Ukrainian people. My win today brought a little bit of happiness to them.”
Jelena Ostapenko will play against Barbora Krejcikova, both former French Open champions. Ostapenko from Latvia, who was a Wimbledon junior champion, has only lost 15 games so far and has spent just over four hours on court.
“This tournament is very special because of its traditions,” Ostapenko said. “The atmosphere here is different from any other Grand Slam. For every tennis player, winning Wimbledon is a dream.”
Krejcikova, who won the French Open in 2021, had never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon before this year. She did well in her last match against Danielle Collins.
Taylor Fritz made a great comeback against Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, winning in five sets. Fritz has been playing well on grass, with eight straight wins since the start of the Eastbourne International last month.
Novak Djokovic advanced to the Wimbledon semi-final without playing a match because his opponent, Alex de Minaur, withdrew due to a hip injury.
With this advancement, Djokovic has reached his 13th Wimbledon semi-final, matching Roger Federer’s record.