- The Bulgarian star was two sets up on Sinner but could not continue the match
- He had pulled up injured after serving an ace to level at 2-2 in the third set
Grigor Dimitrov left Centre Court in tears after he was forced to retire against Jannik Sinner despite holding a two-set lead over the world No1.
The Bulgarian was on the brink of a huge upset against the Italian top seed after winning the first two sets 6-3, 7-5.
But Dimitrov pulled up injured after serving an ace to level at 2-2 in the third set and he could not continue.
The 19th seed immediately dropped to his haunches holding his right pectoral and, though, he left the court for treatment, he returned only to shake Sinner’s hand.
It was the fifth Grand Slam in succession that he had been forced to retire through injury mid-match.
And however relieved Sinner must have felt, he only had sympathy for his opponent when he spoke in his on-court interview.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ admitted Sinner. ‘He is an incredible player. We all saw this today.
‘He is a good friend of mine. Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance he could play the next round, he would deserve it.
‘I don’t take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.
‘In the last Grand Slams he struggled with injuries and seeing him again with this injury is very tough.
‘We all saw this with his reaction how much he cares about the sport. This is not the end we wanted to see. It is very sad. We wish him only the best.’
Sinner was the huge favourite to beat Dimitrov having not lost a single set on way to reaching the fourth round.
He had not even dropped a service game and had lost just 17 games in his first three matches.
Yet Sinner struggled from the off against Dimitrov and hurt his right elbow when he slipped at the back of the court hitting a backhand at deuce in the first game.
Sinner was then broken for the first time in the tournament and never recovered as he went on to easily lose the first set.
Five games into the second set, Sinner called for a medical timeout to look at the elbow he injured at the start of the match.
And he appeared uncomfortable, especially on serve, as Dimitrov broke him to take a 6-5 lead and then serve out for the set.
Play was paused as Wimbledon chiefs chose to close the roof before the third set.
That decision angered Andy Murray, who wrote on X: ‘So ridiculous to close the roof at this stage of the match. At least an hour of light left. Well over a set of tennis can still be played. It’s an outdoor tournament.’
The break in play appeared to suit Sinner, whose performance improved when the match resumed, before disaster struck for Dimitrov.
He first held his pec after hitting a volley long on his serve in the fourth game of the set. And even though he then struck an ace to win the game, he clutched his pec and dropped to the floor.
After Dimitrov conceded the match, he could barely even shake the umpire’s hand, needing his left arm to lift his right, in one of the saddest sights of this year’s tournament.
