Jannik Sinner is through to the Wimbledon quarterfinals, though not in the way he wanted. Sinner lost the first two sets of his fourth-round match with Grigor Dimitrov on Monday before Dimitrov was forced to retire from the match after suffering an apparent pectoral injury.
Dimitrov was playing fantastic tennis, running Sinner around the court and delivering booming serves. Dimitrov won the first set 6-3 and survived a hard-charging comeback attempt from the Italian in the second to take the set 7-5 and put the world No. 1 in a desperate position.
Unfortunately for Dimitrov, a player who has been significantly impacted by injury throughout his career, one of his big serves left him grabbing at the right side of his chest.
Dimitrov was able to continue briefly, but after another serve, he was clearly in pain and took a seat on the grass while Sinner and the medical team checked on him.
Dimitrov continued to be checked on the sideline before being taken into the back for further examination. It took just a few minutes until an emotional Dimitrov returned to the court, shaking his head and holding back tears.
Monday was Dimitrov’s fifth consecutive withdrawal from a Grand Slam event due to injury:
- 2024 Wimbledon — Fourth round
- 2024 US Open — Quarterfinal
- 2025 Australian Open — First round
- 2025 French Open — First round
- 2025 Wimbledon — Fourth round
Sinner, who had not played his best tennis, was upset with the result and the injury to a player he called a “good friend.”
“Honest, I don’t know what to say because he’s an incredible player,” Sinner said. “I think we all saw this today. He has been so unlucky the past couple of years. An incredible player and good friend of mine. Seeing him in this position, honestly, if there was a chance he could play the next round, he would deserve it. Mostly, I hope he has a speedy recovery. I don’t take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.”
Sinner now advances to the quarterfinals to face American Ben Shelton. The road ahead could be tough for Sinner as he was dealing with his own physical issues.
Sinner’s right arm was bothering him throughout the match, leading to a medical timeout during the second set. Whether that injury was why his form was off on Monday, and whether it will continue to impact him as the tournament moves forward.