Wimbledon star releases statement after opponent rushed to help him and match cancelled
Polish tennis star Hubert Hurkacz has released a statement after picking up an injury during his second round clash with Arthur Fils at Wimbledon
Wimbledon star Hubert Hurkacz has issued an update after retiring during his second-round clash with Arthur Fils. The 27-year-old injured his knee while acrobatically diving to win a point during the tie break at the net at the end of the fourth set.
He stayed down after the impressive leap, prompting Fils to rush over and check on his wellbeing. The 20-year-old Frenchman then helped Hurkacz to his feet, sparking a ripple of applause in the stands, only for the Pole to collapse back down to the ground in pain.
After receiving treatment on the side of the court and getting his knee strapped, Hurkacz decided to play on but crumpled to the floor during the first point after diving on his knee again. The match was subsequently called off, with Fils advancing to the third round.
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A few hours later, Hurkacz released a statement on social media, which read: "After I suffered a knee injury @Wimbledon today, the first medical examinations took place. I will take some time to recover and carry out further medical tests at home in Poland.
"My team and I will provide more information as soon as possible. [Thanks] to everyone for the support."
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Hurkacz was being tipped for a decent run at this year's Wimbledon, but his withdrawal means he's failed to get beyond the fourth round of the tournament since reaching the semi-finals in 2021. Ahead of the event, he spoke about his love for the grass season and for Wimbledon in general.
"I really love grass," he said. "Wimbledon is so special. So just coming here, just feeling the whole atmosphere, the crowd, and just so much history. So, yeah, that would be special to lift a trophy at the end of the week here - two weeks."
The agonising end to Thursday's match sees Fils advance to a third-round clash with Russian star Roman Safiullin, and victory there will set up a fourth-round tie with either Alex de Minaur or Fils' compatriot Lucas Pouille. It also represents a personal best performance for the youngster, who has never reached the third round of a major before.
Hurkacz takes home a consolation prize of £85,000 for his second-round exit while Fils is now guaranteed at least £131,000.
