Photo Source: TTV
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday July 7, 2025
Grigor Dimitrov served his way out of Wimbledon on Monday – in the most excruciating way possible.
Just as he was in the midst of a turn-back-the-clock moment on Wimbledon's fabled Centre Court, the Bulgarian fell prey to a pectoral injury that forced him to retire from his round of 16 match with top-seeded Jannik Sinner while leading 6-3, 7-5, 2-2.
It was a heartbreaking moment for the 34-year-old, who pulled up lame after firing his 14th ace of the evening. With the legend Roger Federer in attendance, Dimitrov had captivated the Wimbledon faithful, playing a brilliant two sets and befuddling Sinner to get within four games of victory at that point. “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 last couple of years. I don’t take this as a win at all, this is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.”
Dimitrov’s physical struggles have hit a new, devastating peak – he has now been forced to retire at each of the last five majors.
The former Wimbledon semifinalist fell to the ground after his last serve, which leveled the third set at two games apiece, and was visibly in distress as Sinner crossed the net to tend to him. Dimitrov then made his way to his chair for a brief examination, and headed off court for several minutes to make a last-ditch attempt at putting his body in order.
It was not to be. When Dimitrov returned he walked straight to the Italian and shook his handu, the crowd groaning, then breaking out in supportive applause. If anyone was out of sorts, or struggling physically, early in the match, it was Sinner.
He slipped and fell on the slick grass early in the opening set and jammed his right wrist into the turf. He later had his elbow looked at.
During a medical timeout while trailing 3-2 in the second set, Sinner grimaced as a trainer massaged his elbow.
The Italian talked about the injury in press and said he had an MRI scheduled for Tuesday.
The Bulgarian cracked 36 winners to 19 for Sinner to gain the upper hand in the two hours and eight minutes of contested tennis. Sinner, who had dropped just 17 games through his first three rounds at Wimbledon, was off the mark in the early going as Dimitrov hit full flight.
The Bulgarian, long a crowd favorite, even held his nerve late in the second set as Sinner showed signs of life and broke Dimitrov as he served for a two sets to love lead.
Moments later Dimitrov, after a break back for 6-5, converted his third set point to take the stanza.
According to tennis journalist Gill Gross, Dimitrov was red-lining his first-serve during the first two sets, averaging 130 MPH on his first serve, which was considerably higher than his average. After the Centre Court roof was closed ahead of the third set, there were no breaks of serve before Dimitrov’s injury called time on the contest and his hopes for a second career win over a reigning World No.1.
“This is not the end we wanted to see,” said Sinner, who will face Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals. “It’s very sad and we all wish him only the best.”