LONDON: Jannik Sinner secured a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals after an emotional retirement from Grigor Dimitrov during their fourth-round match. The Bulgarian, leading by two sets, was forced to withdraw due to a pectoral injury, leaving the court in tears.
Sinner, the tournament’s top seed, had struggled early in the match after a fall in the opening game. Despite discomfort in his right elbow, he remained on court while Dimitrov’s injury abruptly ended the contest. The Italian later confirmed he would undergo an MRI scan to assess his own condition.
“Honestly I don’t know what to say,“ Sinner said. “He is an incredible player, I think we all saw this today. He’s been so unlucky in the past couple of years. An incredible player, a good friend of mine also.”
Dimitrov, seeded 19th, had dominated the first two sets with his versatile play before the injury struck. After serving an ace to level the third set at 2-2, he collapsed in pain and was unable to continue. Sinner rushed to his aid, but Dimitrov could only wave weakly to the crowd before departing.
“I hope he has a speedy recovery,“ Sinner added. “It’s very unlucky from his side. I don’t take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.”
This marks Dimitrov’s fifth consecutive Grand Slam retirement, with previous injuries occurring at the US Open, Australian Open, and French Open. His struggles began at Wimbledon last year when he suffered a knee injury against Daniil Medvedev.
Sinner, now into his fourth straight Wimbledon quarter-final, will face Ben Shelton next. A potential semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic looms, though concerns remain over Sinner’s fitness. The 23-year-old has reached the last three Grand Slam finals, winning the US Open and Australian Open while finishing runner-up at Roland Garros. – AFP
