Vegan Hubert Hurkacz Beats Roger Federer at Wimbledon With a 6-0 Final Set

Vegan tennis player Hubert Hurkacz has knocked Roger Federer out of Wimbledon, winning their quarter-final 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 on Centre Court today (Wednesday, July 7). It's the first time Federer has ever lost a set 6-0 at Wimbledon, and it sends the 24-year-old Pole into his first Grand Slam semi-final.

Federer, the eight-time champion, was chasing a 21st major at the age of 39 and was the oldest quarter-finalist in the event's history. Hurkacz, seeded 14th, gave him almost nothing. He hit 36 winners against only 12 unforced errors, was broken just once and won the second-set tie-break after Federer had led 4-1, Bleacher Report noted. Only a day earlier he had come through five sets against world number two Daniil Medvedev in a fourth-round match held over from Monday.

Hurkacz told the crowd he could hardly take it in:

I don't know what to say. It's super special for me. When you're a kid, it's a dream come true to play him.

He also explained what changed after a poor run of form since April: "Here, after winning couple of matches, I really gained confidence, gained momentum." Next up is seventh seed Matteo Berrettini in the semi-finals.

Hurkacz has eaten a vegan diet for several years. He isn't one to preach about it, but there's no arguing with the results: a first Masters 1000 title in Miami in April, and now the biggest win of his career on the biggest court in tennis.

That Miami run made him Poland's first Masters 1000 champion. Plant-based players are having quite a year: in March Novak Djokovic broke Federer's record for weeks at world No. 1, two years after he beat Federer in the longest Wimbledon final.

No meat, no problem.