WIMBLEDON --- The rain actually stopped here for a time on Wednesday: patches of blue appearing above the All England Club that had people sinking to their knees on the still-damp grass and looking skyward in gratitude (not really but you get the point).
Yet even on a drier day, the bad news kept coming: none more unfortunate than Alex de Minaur’s grim-faced announcement that he would not be able to play the biggest match of his life.
He injured his hip on match point against Arthur Fils in the fourth round on Monday, hearing a crack as he skidded and lunged about the grass in pursuit of closure. Though he lost that extreme rally, he finished off the victory two points later and then found out Tuesday, after further examination, that he risked more severe damage to the joint if he played against Novak Djokovic in Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
Rewatching the last game of the Fils match is poignant, particularly when you see how proud and upbeat Katie Boulter, De Minaur’s girlfriend and fellow player, looked in the latter stages as she beamed in the box.