Hubert Hurkacz was forced to retire from his fourth-round Wimbledon match against Jan-Lennard Struff after picking up an injury in the fourth set
Hubert Hurkacz was forced to retire from two sets up (Image: Getty Images)
Hubert Hurkacz attempted to leave the court after being pushed to a deciding set in his Wimbledon fourth-round encounter, informing officials he needed to “change [his] underwear”. The Polish player appeared to sustain an injury at 5-5 in the fourth set while facing Jan-Lennard Struff on No.2 Court.
He was forced to depart mid-game to receive attention from the physiotherapist. However, upon his return, Hurkacz continued to show signs of discomfort and swiftly dropped the following two games to surrender the set.
Before the decider, the world No. 96 repeatedly requested permission to leave the court to get changed, and protested that it was “too dark” to continue playing. His appeals were ignored, and he was eventually compelled to retire midway through the fifth set, bringing the contest to a sudden conclusion.
Hurkacz had established a two-set lead over Struff before the 36-year-old German began to stage a fightback. Deep into the fourth set, the Pole suddenly found himself struggling.
He grimaced after delivering a serve at 5-5 and immediately sat down at his bench, requesting the trainer.
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The physio emerged onto the court and asked the umpire and other officials: “Can we take him off court, do some treatment? It’s a different problem.”
The former world No. 6 added: “I cannot play. There is no chance.”
Hurkacz was permitted to leave for an off-court medical timeout during the game. Soon, neither competitor remained on court, as Struff seized the opportunity to dash to the bathroom. The world No 96 returned following his medical timeout and continued playing, but was visibly suffering and was broken to surrender the set.
As darkness descended on the outside court, Hurkacz then attempted to take another break, before claiming the conditions were too poor to continue. “I need to change clothes. No, I went only once. I went just once. Call the supervisor. I went only once. Call the supervisor,” he told the umpire.
Hubert Hurkacz retired in the fifth set, sending Jan-Lennard Struff into the quarters(Image: BBC)
“I need to change clothes. No, I need to change the underwear. I cannot… I need to change the – And it’s too dark.”
Commentators weren’t convinced, telling viewers: “No, no. Nice try. It’s not too dark. No, no. That’s nonsense. The supervisor will come out. That’s nonsense.”
Struff also rejected the delay tactics, taking position at the baseline ready to begin the fifth and deciding set as the umpire called time.
Hurkacz had no choice but to continue, although he initially appeared untroubled when he secured an early break. However, the former semi-finalist remained visibly uncomfortable and kept grimacing.
Struff responded immediately with a break back, prompting the Polish player to summon the physio once more during the following two changeovers.
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Struff then earned additional break points at 3-2. It became evident that Hurkacz was unable to carry on, barely making an effort to contest points.
Following another break of serve, he finally decided to retire. The 29-year-old walked directly to the net to shake hands with Struff, handing the German his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final berth 3-6 6-7 7-6 7-5 4-2 ret.
It’s a devastating blow for Hurkacz, who suffered a career-threatening knee injury on the very same court in the second round two years ago. He attempted to push through the remainder of the 2024 season, entering a handful of tournaments, but was clearly still struggling to find his best form.
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The former world No. 6 initially showed signs of a stronger comeback in 2025, but was forced to pull out of both Wimbledon and the US Open after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to finally resolve his persistent knee problems.
Hurkacz slipped out of the top 100 just weeks ago as he continued to struggle for consistency following his return to the tour in January.
Having reached new heights at the Grand Slams at the age of 36, Struff paid a heartfelt tribute to his stricken opponent. “Hubie is one of the nice guys on four for me, and to end it like that is a pity,” he told the crowd.
“It’s very tough. It was also tough, I felt like, in the fourth set, the serve speed went a bit down. After he got treatment, it was very difficult in the fifth set. He broke me with unbelievable shots and I needed to stay focused. All the best to Hubie.
“I’m very happy, but yeah, the end was pretty rough. But I mean, yeah, it’s just incredible, I would say. Like I said before, 36 years old, fourth round [here] for the first time, quarter-final of a Grand Slam first time. You should never give up.”