Hubert Hurkacz was forced to retire from his fourth-round Wimbledon match against Jan-Lennard Struff after telling the umpire he needed to leave the court to change his underwear. The Polish player, ranked 96th in the world, had led by two sets but suffered an apparent injury at 5-5 in the fourth set on No.2 Court.
Hurkacz departed mid-game for physiotherapy treatment. After returning, he dropped two games to lose the set. Before the deciding set, he repeatedly asked to leave the court, claiming it was "too dark" to continue. His requests were ignored, and he eventually retired midway through the fifth set, handing Struff a 3-6 6-7 7-6 7-5 4-2 ret. victory.
Injury and Medical Timeout
Hurkacz grimaced after a serve at 5-5 in the fourth set and requested the trainer. The physio asked officials: "Can we take him off court, do some treatment? It's a different problem." Hurkacz added: "I cannot play. There is no chance." He was allowed an off-court medical timeout, during which Struff also left for a bathroom break.
Upon return, Hurkacz was visibly struggling and was broken to lose the set. As darkness fell, he attempted another break, telling the umpire: "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 then said: "I need to change the underwear. I cannot... I need to change the - And it's too dark."
Commentators and Struff React
Commentators dismissed his claims, saying: "No, no. Nice try. It's not too dark. No, no. That's nonsense." Struff also rejected the delay, taking position at the baseline. Hurkacz continued but was clearly uncomfortable, grimacing and calling the physio again during changeovers. After Struff earned break points at 3-2, Hurkacz decided to retire, walking to the net to shake hands.
Struff paid tribute: "Hubie is one of the nice guys on tour for me, and to end it like that is a pity. It's very tough. I felt like in the fourth set, the serve speed went 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."
Hurkacz's Injury History
This is a devastating blow for Hurkacz, who suffered a career-threatening knee injury on the same court in the second round two years ago. He attempted to push through the 2024 season but struggled. In 2025, he showed signs of recovery but was forced to pull out of Wimbledon and the US Open after arthroscopic surgery. He slipped out of the top 100 weeks ago. Struff, at 36, reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
