By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday July 4, 2024
Seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz looked to be on his way to making a dramatic comeback on Thursday at Wimbledon as he battled in the fourth set with 20-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils.
The Polish talent had just earned a set point after making a diving volley in the fourth-set tiebreak, but that moment would prove to be the beginning of his demise. When Hurkacz tried to get up after the point ended (with Fils dumping a ball into the net), he quickly recognized that he had done significant damage to his right knee.
After a medical timeout, Hurkacz returned to the court with strapping on his knee to give it a go, but his effort proved futile as he was forced to retire, handing Fils the hard-earned win, 7-6(2) 6-4 2-6 6-6(9-8) Ret.
What it’s all about 🥹
Superb sportsmanship from Arthur Fils as he takes the time to console his friend, Hubert Hurkacz 🫂#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Vx3sImc04y
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2024
Fils becomes the youngest man to defeat a Top-10 player at Wimbledon since Nick Kyrgios upset Rafael Nadal in 2014. The Frenchman, the youngest player in the Top-50, is into the third round at a major for the first time and will face either Roman Safiullin or Tomas Machac next.