Novak Djokovic has sparked concern after appearing to suffer an injury during his Wimbledon quarter-final match with Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion, who is seeded seventh, took to Centre Court to face No 3 seed Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday evening.
The match looked like the standout clash of the men’s quarter-final lineup, and both players made a strong start in hot conditions in London.
After Djokovic won the first point of his service game at 4-4, he took a lengthy pause to stretch out his left leg at the back of the court before resuming play.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion won the next three points to hold serve at love, but he then took a medical timeout to receive treatment on his leg from the physio.
The 39-year-old Serb was frequently seen grimacing between points, and he continued to stretch out his leg at times.
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Commentating on the match for the BBC, doubles legend Todd Woodbridge discussed Djokovic’s physical issue.
“Novak Djokovic gave a big reaction to whatever the problem is when he hit that backhand down the line at 0-15 [at 5-4]. He gave a bit of an ‘Oooh’,” said Woodbridge.
“From the way he is stretching, it looks like it could be the calf or the Achilles or potentially the plantar fascia area of the foot itself.
“They are testing the stability of the ankle into the calf at the minute, which isn’t a good injury. It is one you tend to get at the backend of your career rather than at any other point.”
The Australian added: “This really is a tough period for Felix Auger-Aliassime because he has to stay so concentrated on his own end of the court and on his own game.
“He cannot afford to get drawn into Novak Djokovic’s issues, such as wondering whether he is alright or whether he will carry on. It is a hard thing to do.”
Despite the discomfort Djokovic was clearly feeling, his level largely remained high in the first set, and he converted his fifth set point to win an epic tiebreak 12-10.
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