Wimbledon: Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic Are Eliminated

WIMBLEDON, England — A day of attrition struck Wimbledon on Wednesday as the top two seeds in the men’s singles draw staggered out of the tournament because of injuries.

No. 1 Andy Murray, hobbling from a bothersome and prolonged hip injury, was upset by the American Sam Querrey in five uneven sets. Shortly afterward, No. 2 Novak Djokovic retired from his match with Tomas Berdych because of an elbow issue that has lingered for more than a year.

The tournament has been dogged by infirmities and retirements from the first round, when seven men quit their matches with injuries. Djokovic became the 10th man to drop out of a match.

Even the famed Wimbledon grass — brown, patchy and wilting — looks injured, too.

Djokovic and Murray slogged through their maladies until Wednesday afternoon. Both players said they would reassess their health and their schedules in the immediate future, which leaves some questions about their availability for the United States Open, which begins in late August.

Djokovic, who said his elbow had troubled him off and on for 18 months, will soon confer with doctors.

“I haven’t felt this much pain ever since I’ve had this injury, so it’s not a good sign,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, schedule will be readjusted.”

The beneficiaries were manifest. They included Querrey, the No. 24 seed, who reached his first Grand Slam semifinal by eventually overwhelming Murray, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-1. Last year at Wimbledon, Querrey upset Djokovic, then No. 1 and the defending champion, in the third round.

In the semifinals, Querrey will face seventh-seeded Marin Cilic, who beat Gilles Müller, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5, 5-7, 6-1.

Also benefiting was the 11th-seeded Berdych, who had lost 25 of his previous 27 matches against Djokovic.

Finally, there is Roger Federer, the No. 3 seed and the seven-time Wimbledon champion, who is the only member of the so-called Big Four still playing. Fourth-seeded Rafael Nadal, the reigning French Open champion, lost in the fourth round.

Federer skipped the clay-court season to give his surgically repaired knee some rest after starting the year by winning the Australian Open and two high-profile hardcourt tournaments in the United States.

He did not play for almost two and a half months and said the time off had worked for him.

“The problem is you can only play with a certain injury for a certain amount of time,” Federer said, “because what you don’t want happening is that it becomes chronic.”

Now he will face Berdych in a semifinal match on Friday. Federer, who downed Milos Raonic, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (4), in their quarterfinal, has beaten Berdych seven straight times and 18 of 24 over all.

Although there were some clues, Djokovic’s retirement was particularly surprising because he had been playing well, prompting talk of a resurgence. But in his fourth-round match against Adrian Mannarino on Tuesday, his serve was slower than usual, and he called the trainer onto the court to work on his right arm, including his shoulder.

Late in the first set against Berdych, Djokovic began to grimace when he struck the ball. After losing the set in a tiebreaker, he called the trainer out again, but when he struck a forehand early in the second set, he grimaced again and then shook his head. Behind by 2-0 in the set, he could go no further.

Djokovic did not consider withdrawing before the match, but said he had to retire out of fear of hurting the elbow more.

“All I had today was hope that everything we’ve done will allow me to play,” he said.

Murray lasted five sets, but he said he had been assured he could do no further damage to the hip. He has dealt with the problem his entire career, but it grew worse recently and he had to do extra work to manage it throughout this tournament.

What comes next is unclear. Murray said he would have to do more therapy and will almost certainly seek additional medical advice.

“Now I’ll sit down with my team and look at the next step, look a little bit longer term,” Murray said. “The U.S. Open’s, I don’t know, six, seven weeks away.”

For more than a week, Murray, the defending champion and Britain’s top player, had tried to reassure a nervous nation that his sore hip was not a matter of concern. He withdrew from an exhibition match before the tournament and spoke of ice baths and special treatment. He said the hip was improving every day, despite the visual evidence, and he had won four matches despite walking around the grounds with the hitch of a man twice his age.

“The whole tournament I’ve been a little bit sore,” Murray said. “But I tried my best right to the end, gave everything I had. I’m proud about that. But it’s obviously disappointing to lose at Wimbledon. There’s obviously an opportunity there. So I’m sad that it’s over.”

He started out well against Querrey, winning the first seven points and the first two games. But Murray began to weaken, moving with more difficulty and displaying less balance on his strokes and serve. By the final two sets, Querrey, with his big serve, was just overpowering.

The loss hit fans in Centre Court and around Britain hard. They had hoped for a third Wimbledon title from Murray, and a dream was growing that Johanna Konta, the highest-ranked British woman, and Murray could reach their respective finals.

Instead, a bad hip — and Querrey — dashed the hopes of a tennis-loving nation.

“He’s won the tournament before,” said Querrey, the first American man to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 2009. “It would be one thing if they hadn’t had a champion in 80 years and he lost. But I don’t feel like I just ruined the hopes of every British person out there.”