LONDON — Three-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic’s painful year continued as he retired with an elbow injury during his quarterfinal match against Tomas Berdych on Wednesday.
Djokovic, the No. 2 seed, had lost the opening set and was down a break in the second when he walked to the net and shook his opponent’s hand.
The retirement came shortly after the 30-year-old called a medical timeout while down 7-6(2), 2-0.
Afterward, Djokovic indicated surgery may be an option.
“There is a possibility that they will propose surgery, but I don’t think that is good,” Djokovic told Serbian media.
Djokovic said his right elbow had been bothering him for more than a year-and-a-half and he had been feeling pain from the beginning of the tournament.
“The intensity and the level of pain was not decreasing. It was only increasing as the days went by,” he said. “Unfortunately, today was the worst day.”
“It’s unfortunate that I had to finish Wimbledon, a Grand Slam, this way,” he added. “I mean, if someone feels bad about it, it’s me. But, you know, I tried.”