- Alex de Minaur has reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon
- He suffered an injury on match point
- De Minaur insisted that ‘I would be fine’ after the match
Australian Alex De Minaur reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time on Monday by beating rising Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-3.
The ninth-seeded player looked set to beat the 20-year-old for two sets, but Fils, who was aiming to become the youngest Frenchman in the professional era to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, responded superbly and extended the match on Court One.
De Minaur, who was watched by his girlfriend Katie Boulter, the British number one, took a lead in the fourth set, preventing de Fils from making a comeback.
Worryingly for the 25-year-old, who will face seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or Dane Holger Rune in the quarter-finals, he seemed to experience some discomfort towards the end.
Fans were also concerned when they saw the Australian shaking his head towards his coaching box.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll find a way,” he said.
‘Thank you guys. The atmosphere was incredible, super proud of myself that I can play for you here at Wimbledon.’
When asked what he liked most about his performance, an exhausted De Minaur joked, “Crossing the finish line. I definitely made it a lot harder than I probably should have.
Alex de Minaur survived his 16-06 Wimbledon final but suffered an injury
He injured his ankle on match point during his win over Arthur Fils in SW19
‘Glad I got through it. Well done for mentally pushing through even though I couldn’t serve at the end. I couldn’t hold my serve, I just supported my return. But I’m very happy with that and on to the next one.’
About the quarter-finals against Djokovic or Rune: ‘I’m just happy to be in the quarter-finals, to be able to compete again and to give myself another chance.’
De Minaur has previously reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam twice, losing to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open and to Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros this year.