Grigor Dimitrov has continued his difficult relationship with the Wimbledon roof, which has been closed during two of his matches at this year’s event.
Dimitrov was hugely frustrated at Wimbledon as a 10-minute break to close the roof during his match against Jakub Mensik halted his momentum, although he went on to win the round two match.
The situation was repeated in his match against Matteo Berrettini in round three, and remarkably also occurred against Jannik Sinner in 2025.
Dimitrov was leading the Italian when bad light forced the closure of the roof on Centre Court, with the Bulgarian retiring with injury shortly after.
His fellow ATP player Taylor Fritz, who is also now into the last 16, has shared his take on closing the Wimbledon roofs, which cover Centre Court and No. 1 Court.
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Taylor Fritz gives his opinion on the Wimbledon roof closing during matches
When asked after his latest win if the roof should be closed during the match or not close it unless it’s raining, Fritz said: “Honestly, I don’t know what the conditions are.
“I guess if they’re closing it because of the light, I mean, you kind of just have to close it mid-match. It just depends when they start the match.
“If they start the match at a reasonable time, where the match is a three-setter, two-and-a-half hours, they can actually finish without having to close the roof, I think that’s fine.
“If they start the match an hour before it’s going to get too dark, so then they know they’re going to have to close the roof for sure at some point in the match, then they should probably just start with it closed.
“That’s probably what I would say.”
Taylor Fritz shares what his relationship is like with Frances Tiafoe
Fritz was watching his potential fourth round opponents play while cooling down on the bike after his match, with Alexander Bublik and Frances Tiafoe having been locked in a tense battle at the time.
Ultimately, the Kazakhstani ace prevailed, but Fritz was tasked with discussing his rivalry with his fellow American Tiafoe.
“I mean, it’s been good for me up until Halle, to be honest,” he said. “Yeah, he got me. He got me pretty good in Halle. We’ve just gone back and forth with each other for a long time.
“We’re obviously such good friends, him and I. It’s like, we have like an understanding with each other.
“We can rip on each other so much, and, like, no one ever gets offended. Both of us take a joke really well. We’ve been roasting each other for the last 10 years.”
The Americans met in the final of the Halle Open in Germany last month, when Tiafoe beat Fritz 6-4, 6-4 to claim the title.
It is, however, the former who has dominated their head-to-head, with Fritz boasting a 7-2 win-loss record over his compatriot.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2026 | Frances Tiafoe | Halle | Final | Outdoor Grass | 64 64 |
| 2024 | Taylor Fritz | US Open | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 46 75 46 64 61 |
| 2023 | Taylor Fritz | Acapulco | Quarterfinal | Outdoor Hard | 63 64 |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | Tokyo | Final | Outdoor Hard | 76(3) 76(2) |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | ATP Masters 1000 Canada | Round of 32 | Outdoor Hard | 57 61 64 |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | Australian Open | Round of 64 | Outdoor Hard | 64 63 76(5) |
| 2019 | Taylor Fritz | ATP Masters 1000 Paris | Round of 64 | Indoor Hard | 76(6) 36 64 |
| 2016 | Taylor Fritz | Winston-Salem | Round of 64 | Outdoor Hard | 61 64 |
| 2016 | Frances Tiafoe | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | Round of 128 | Outdoor Hard | 63 26 63 |
Intriguingly, there is no leader between him and Bublik, who each have four wins from their eight meetings ahead of their Wimbledon clash.
Meanwhile, Dimitrov has set up a blockbuster clash with wildcard Arthur Fery, the only British player remaining in Wimbledon singles.
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