Jannik Sinner has secured a place in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon after Grigor Dimitrov retired hurt during their round of 16.
Sinner has wished Dimitrov well after his retirement, which arrived when the Bulgarian was leading the Italian by two sets.
Dimitrov was beating ATP Tour number one Sinner 6-3, 7-5, but was forced to retire with the third set level at 2-2.
Sinner was ‘very sad’ for Dimitrov after witnessing his latest injury issue up close, with the Wimbledon 19th seed having been holding his right pectoral muscle.
It has continued a disastrous injury run for the 19th seed, who has now been forced to retire from each of his last five Grand Slam appearances.
Andy Roddick reacts to Jannik Sinner’s behaviour with Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon
Sinner meanwhile looks ahead to yet another Grand Slam quarter-final, where American Ben Shelton awaits.
The Italian has, however, drawn huge praise from former world number one Andy Roddick for his actions while his most recent opponent Dimitrov suffered with injury.
He said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast: “Jannik Sinner 12 out of 10. I mean going over to the other side.
“The BBC interviewed Sinner and he said what he said, he was like I did not win it and basically said my heart goes to Grigor, that’s the only thing I care about.
“He answered one question and did not wait. He was brilliant because you could see him on the away camera on BBC.
“They never ask just one question, if anything those interviews go on for too long. It’s four or five questions after a match and you are repeating the same things. He answered it and casually walked around off mic and the interviewer stands 10 feet away.
“You could see as soon as he walked they panned out and he walked up to the interviewer and I’m sure he said I’m not going to answer any more questions and shook their hand in a classy way, like there is nothing more to talk about tonight.”
Grigor Dimitrov leads unwanted ATP Tour list after Wimbledon withdrawal
Sinner certainly showed his class in many ways during and after his battle with Dimitrov, having been in real danger of suffering a huge shock.
But he has caught a lucky break with the unfortunate injury of his opponent, who unfortunately tops a very unwanted list.
Since the beginning of the 2020 season, he has suffered 12 retirements on the ATP Tour, more than any other player.
It is three ahead of Tomas Machac and Yoshihito Nishioka in joint-second, with the pair having each retired nine times.
| Player | Retirements |
| Grigor Dimitrov | 12 |
| Tomas Machac, Yoshihito Nishioka | 9 |
| Jack Draper | 8 |
| Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Jordan Thompson | 7 |
A devastated Dimitrov was left in tears after his latest withdrawal, while his opponent Sinner also has an injury scare.
The world number one is set to undergo an MRI scan on his elbow, having taken a hit while falling during the match on Centre Court.
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