Grigor Dimitrov saw a historic Wimbledon victory stolen from him last night, forced to retire from two sets to love up against Jannik Sinner.
The 34-year-old was heading into the clash as a heavy underdog, with the world number one having looked near-unstoppable thus far.
He was yet to be broken, let alone lose a set. Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov’s form and fitness have been patchy all year.
And yet, he raced into a one-set lead, and then held his nerve to steal the second set too. He was on the brink of dumping out one of the favourites to win the title.
That was, until disaster struck.
Thanasi Kokkinakis gives his thoughts on Grigor Dimitrov’s Wimbledon injury
With the scores at 2-2 in the third set, Dimitrov had successfully won his service game, but at the ultimate cost.
After striking a volley, he clutched his right chest, grimacing. Something was wrong, and when he slowly slumped to the ground, Centre Court fell silent.
Roger Federer was on his feet, a deathly expression of sadness and sympathy, summing up what everyone watching the match was feeling.
Dimitrov left the court for treatment, but returned just minutes later, his eyes full of tears, shaking his head. His miraculous night of tennis was over.
And now, Thanasi Kokkinakis has sought to give his verdict on the nature of this pectoral injury, even issuing a warning to the Bulgarian.
He took to X to write: ‘Ruined my life this thing for last 5 years.. he gotta take time to get it right’.
John McEnroe has predicted how long Dimitrov will be out for with this injury, and it’s not looking good.
Grigor Dimitrov’s injury record is so painful
It has been well-documented, but this marks the fifth straight Grand Slam that Dimitrov has been forced to retire from mid-match. A crushing indication of his physical state.
What’s so frustrating is that he remains a model professional and does all he can to keep in fine shape and retain his technical prowess.
At Wimbledon thus far, he had looked supreme, having withdrawn in just the first round of his French Open match in May.
However, when delving back through his injury record, it makes for a frightening view.
After all, it is not one lingering injury that continues to scupper his progress, but instead many different ailments that are cropping up seemingly without any warning.
Last night it was his pec, but in Paris it was his thigh. Then, in the Australian Open, it was his knee.
Stretching back into 2024, and his US Open campaign was halted in the quarter-final due to his knee, whilst his groin prohibited him from continuing in Wimbledon last year too.
It’s so painful that somebody so talented can be so unfortunate. Hopefully, he takes all the time he needs to return to the tour to see out his career fit and healthy.
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