Grigor Dimitrov led by two sets when he retired from his Wimbledon match against Jannik Sinner on Monday, with an injury costing him a potential upset against the world No 1.
Dimitrov held a 6-3 7-5 lead against Sinner in their fourth-round match on Centre Court, but at 2-2 in the third set, the Bulgarian clutched his chest and fell to the grass on his backside – possibly struggling with a pectoral issue.
• LIVE: Follow the fallout from Dimitrov vs Sinner at Wimbledon
Dimitrov, 34, was checked by physios on the grass and then courtside, where he broke down in tears. He left the court for a couple of minutes before returning and declaring to his opponent and umpire that he could not continue.
The retirement was Dimitrov’s fifth in a row at a grand slam, and he was visibly emotional as Sinner helped him off the court, carrying the Bulgarian’s bags.
“I don’t take this as a win at all,” said Sinner in his post-match interview, having checked on Dimitrov both on the grass and courtside. “I don’t know what to say. He is an incredible player, we all saw this today. He’s been so unlucky in the past couple of years.
“An incredible player and a good friend of mine off the court. Seeing him in this way… If he could play in the next round, he would honestly deserve it. I hope he has a speedy recovery, very unlucky from his side and a very unfortunate moment for us to witness.
“I think already in the last grand slams he struggled with injuries, seeing him with this is very tough: his reaction, how much he cares about the sport, he’s one of the most hard working on tour. It’s very sad, we wish him all the best and give him [the] applause.”
Ironically, it was Sinner who was battling an injury earlier in the match, having hurt his elbow during a fall in the very first game.
The 23-year-old Italian is pursuing his fourth major title but first at Wimbledon, and is hoping to put the heartbreak of a French Open final defeat behind him. In a modern classic in June, Sinner led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to love before losing after a total of five hours and 25 minutes on the Paris clay.
And Sinner looked destined for more tennis heartbreak on Monday, as Dimitrov fought his way into a two-love lead in sets. But at 2-2 in the third, after a 10-minute delay to the start of the set as the roof was closed, it was Dimitrov who was left distraught.
After debuting on the ATP Tour in 2008, Dimitrov made a name for himself as “Baby Fed”, due to his natural talent and the similarities in his game to Roger Federer’s. However, he could not live up to expectations at grand slams, and has never gone beyond a semi-final.
In fact, one of Dimitrov’s three semi-final runs took place at Wimbledon in 2014, and he was on the verge of booking a quarter-final spot at the All England club when he sustained his injury against Sinner.
Sinner now goes on to play Ben Shelton, the 10th seed, on Wednesday.