Novak Djokovic retires from Wimbledon with injury

Novak Djokovic pulled out of his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Thomas Berdych with a wrist injury in the second set.

Novak Djokovic’s bid to recapture the Wimbledon title came to an end Wednesday in the middle of the second set of his quarterfinal against Thomas Berdych. Djokovic was trailing 6-7, 0-2 when an arm injury forced him to retire.

Djokovic has been in an extended slump since winning the French Open in 2016, when he became the first man to hold all four Grand Slams at the same time.

The level of exertion required for him to reach that peak seemed to get the better of him, however, as he made it to only one Slam final in his next four attempts, at the U.S. Open last year, when he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets.

After a quarterfinal exit at the French Open a month ago, Djokovic looked like he might be rounding back into form at Wimbledon. He was particularly impressive in a round of 32 victory against Ernests Gulbis, where for the first time in a long time he was playing with the intensity that defined his dominant run from 2014-2016.

Djokovic’s retirement opens the door for Roger Federer, aiming to win his eighth Wimbledon title at the age of 35. Federer has been pristine this year, playing his best tennis in years and winning his 18th major at the Australian Open to start the season. He beat Milos Raonic in his quarterfinal and will face Berdych in the semis.

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In the other half of the draw, American Sam Querrey beat Andy Murray in five sets to book a semifinal match against Croatia’s Marin Cilic. In beating Murray, Querrey became the first American male player to reach the semifinal of a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2009.

For Djokovic, the questions that have plagued him for the past year will continue. There have been signs of an uptick in form since he teamed up with new coach Andre Agassi, but the wait for another major goes on.