Novak Djokovic moves into Wimbledon semifinals when Alex de Minaur withdraws WFTV [Video]

LONDON — (AP) — Novak Djokovic got a free pass into the Wimbledon semifinals on Wednesday when his quarterfinal opponent, Alex de Minaur, withdrew with a hip injury.

De Minaur, an Australian who was seeded ninth at the All England Club, announced he was pulling out of the tournament hours before he and Djokovic were scheduled to play each other at Centre Court.

“Obviously not an announcement I wanted to make, by any means,” de Minaur said at a news conference. “I’m devastated.”

He explained that he heard a crack toward the end of his 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 fourth-round victory over Arthur Fils on Monday. De Minaur walked gingerly to the net when that match ended, but he downplayed the severity of things when he spoke to the media afterward.

The walkover places Djokovic in the Wimbledon semifinals for the 13th time, equaling Roger Federer for the most by a man in tournament history.

The second-seeded Djokovic has won seven …