WIMBLEDON, England — A day of attrition struck Wimbledon on Wednesday as the top two seeds in the men’s singles draw staggered out of the tournament because of injuries. ADVERTISING WIMBLEDON, England — A day of attrition struck Wimbledon on
WIMBLEDON, England — A day of attrition struck Wimbledon on Wednesday as the top two seeds in the men’s singles draw staggered out of the tournament because of injuries.
No. 1 Andy Murray, hobbling from a bothersome and prolonged hip injury, was upset by American Sam Querrey in five uneven sets. Shortly afterward, No. 2 Novak Djokovic retired from his match with Tomas Berdych because of an elbow issue that has lingered for more than a year.
The tournament has been dogged by infirmities and retirements from the first round, when seven men quit their matches with injuries. Djokovic became the 10th man to drop out of a match.
Even the famed Wimbledon grass — brown, patchy and wilting — looks injured, too.
Djokovic and Murray slogged through their maladies until Wednesday afternoon. Both players said they would reassess their health and their schedules in the immediate future, which leaves some questions about their availability for the U.S. Open, which begins in late August.
Djokovic, who said his elbow had troubled him off and on for 18 months, will soon confer with doctors.
“I haven’t felt this much pain ever since I’ve had this injury, so it’s not a good sign,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, schedule will be readjusted.”
The beneficiaries were manifest. They included Querrey, the No. 24 seed, who reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by eventually overwhelming Murray, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-1. Last year at Wimbledon, Querrey upset Djokovic, then No. 1 and the defending champion, in the third round.
In the semifinals Querrey will face seventh-seeded Marin Cilic, who beat Gilles Müller, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.
Also benefiting was the 11th-seeded Berdych, who had lost 25 of his previous 27 matches against Djokovic.
Finally, there is Roger Federer, the No. 3 seed and the seven-time Wimbledon champion, who is the only member of the so-called Big Four still playing. Fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal, the reigning French Open champion, lost in the fourth round.
Federer skipped the clay-court season to give his surgically repaired knee some rest after starting the year by winning the Australian Open and two high-profile hardcourt tournaments in the U.S.
He did not play for almost 2 1/2 months and said the time off had worked for him.
“The problem is you can only play with a certain injury for a certain amount of time,” Federer said, “because what you don’t want happening is that it becomes chronic.”
Now he will face Berdych in a semifinal match on Friday. Federer, who downed Milos Raonic, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (4), in their quarterfinal, has beaten Berdych seven straight times and 18 of 24 overall.
Although there were some clues, Djokovic’s retirement was particularly surprising because he had been playing well, prompting talk of a resurgence. But in his fourth-round match against Adrian Mannarino on Tuesday, his serve was slower than usual, and he called the trainer onto the court to work on his right arm, including his shoulder.
Late in the first set against Berdych, Djokovic began to grimace when he struck the ball. After losing the set in a tiebreaker, he called the trainer out again, but when he struck a forehand early in the second set, he grimaced again and then shook his head. Behind by 2-0 in the set, he could go no further.
Djokovic did not consider withdrawing before the match but said he had to retire out of fear of hurting the elbow more.
“All I had today was hope that everything we’ve done will allow me to play,” he said.
