The Wimbledon Grand Slam, one of the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournaments, has given fans countless memorable moments over the years. One such moment occurred during the Round of 16 match between Alex de Minaur and Arthur Fils.
In the second set, with de Minaur serving in the second game, a gripping cross-court rally ensued. Arthur Fils hit the ball toward de Minaur’s forehand, which de Minaur attempted to return to the baseline. The line umpire called the shot out, but de Minaur quickly challenged the call. It was revealed that the ball was in by the slimmest of margins, just 1mm. This dramatic incident was shared by Wimbledon’s official Instagram account, captioned, “Only 1mm in it 😮”. Watch the video here:
Australia’s Alex de Minaur advanced to the Wimbledon 2024 quarterfinals for the first time by defeating the rising Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Two years after losing a two-set lead and two match points when he was on the verge of reaching the quarterfinals, the No. 9 seed managed to hold his nerve as a similar collapse loomed against Arthur Fils.
De Minaur will face seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Djokovic has been in excellent form since returning from knee surgery, comfortably defeating Holger Rune in straight sets in just two hours.
After the match, de Minaur appeared to be in some discomfort. However, in his on-court interview, he reassured fans, saying, “I’ll be alright. I made it harder than I should have and am happy to get over the finish line.”
De Minaur has previously reached two Grand Slam quarterfinals, losing to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 U.S. Open and Alexander Zverev at the French Open in 2024. Although de Minaur defeated Djokovic in the United Cup this year, their only Grand Slam match was convincingly won by the Serbian in straight sets at the 2023 Australian Open.