Novak Djokovic reached his 13th Wimbledon semi-final on Wednesday without touching a ball after Alex de Minaur withdrew with an injury.
The 25-year-old De Minaur, who was seeded ninth, announced shortly after noon at the All England Club that he was “devastated to have had to withdraw due to a hip injury.”
With this, Djokovic equalled Roger Federer’s record of 13 Wimbledon semi-final appearances and closes in on the Swiss great’s record of eight singles titles.
The 37-year-old Serb has also advanced to a record 49th men’s Grand Slam semi-final, where he will face Lorenzo Musetti.
“It’s no secret that this would be the most important match of my career, but it’s a unique injury,” said De Minaur, who beat Djokovic in the United Cup in January.
“I woke up this morning wishing for a miracle to happen, but there was a big risk that the injury would get worse if I stepped onto the field.
Djokovic will play Musetti, ranked 25, for a place in Sunday’s final after the Italian defeated Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
The world No. 2, who underwent knee surgery last month, is yet to win a title this year and is still chasing a first win against another top 10 player.
Djokovic, who defeated Holger Rune in the fourth round and is aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title, has a 5-1 record against the 22-year-old Musetti, including a five-set victory at Roland Garros last month.
“Djokovic knows the stadiums here better than I do,” the Italian admitted.
“He is a legend everywhere and has done unthinkable things. We have played against each other many times and I expect a huge battle.
“It’s the toughest challenge in tennis, but I’m an ambitious person and I like to be challenged. I’ll give 100%.”
Musetti said reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final was the best day of his life after the birth of his son.
“It’s a magical day,” he said. “I have to say that I put this today second only to the birth of my son.
“For my career, this is the best day of my life.”
Musetti came back after losing the first set for the third time this year, when Fritz made a break in the fourth game.
Musetti, who plays a one-handed backhand, levelled in the second-set tiebreak and was dominant in the third set, beating the American in the first and fifth games.
Fritz came back from a two-set deficit to knock out Alexander Zverev in the last sixteen, but showed no signs of slowing down and levelled the match in the fourth set.
However, Musetti was not discouraged and took a 5-0 lead in the deciding match, thus securing victory.
