Hubert Hurkacz was two sets up and closing in on a Wimbledon quarter-final place when his body gave way. Then he tried a different excuse: he needed to change his underwear.
The Polish world No. 96 was facing Jan-Lennard Struff on No.2 Court in the fourth round when, at 5-5 in the fourth set, he grimaced after delivering a serve and immediately sat down at his bench, requesting the trainer. The physio emerged and asked the umpire: “Can we take him off court, do some treatment? It’s a different problem.” Hurkacz added: “I cannot play. There is no chance.”
“Hubert Hurkacz retired from Wimbledon after bizarrely telling umpire he needed to change underwear mid-match.”
He was permitted to leave for an off-court medical timeout. Struff seized the moment to dash to the bathroom. When Hurkacz returned, he was visibly suffering and was broken to surrender the set, levelling the match at two sets all.
As darkness fell on the outside court, Hurkacz tried to leave again before the deciding set. “I need to change clothes. No, I need to change the underwear. I cannot… I need to change the – And it’s too dark,” he told the umpire. The attempt was dismissed by commentators, who told 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, taking position at the baseline ready to begin the fifth set as the umpire called time. Hurkacz had no choice but to continue. He initially appeared untroubled, securing an early break – but then the injury took hold and he was forced to retire midway through the decider, sending Struff into the quarter-finals.
For Hurkacz, who had established a commanding two-set lead, it was a collapse that leaves him wondering what might have been – especially after his underwear-and-darkness pleas fell on deaf ears.