Grigor Dimitrov got his chance to win one of the biggest disruptions at Wimbledon on Monday, and was in full control.
However, a chest injury ended his day early, forcing him to retire while holding two sets of leads over No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner.
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Thinner advances to the quarterfinals after appearing to be on the victim crisis of a stunning round of 16 upsets. Dimitrov took a 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 lead at the time of injury.
Seeded 19th, Dimitrov will retire for the fifth consecutive time from a Grand Slam match. He previously retired from Wimbledon and the US in 2024, and this year he left the Australian Open and French Open.
When will Dimitrov return?
Dimitrov’s manager George Stoimenoff announced he had maintained a partial cleft in the main muscles of his pectoral muscles, according to a report from Bulgarian Tennis Cafe on Tuesday. The injury puts Dimitrov aside in at least three tournaments, but he was able to return to court in time for the US Open, which begins in late August.
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Dimitrov was injured while serving. He quickly fell to the ground in pain and clutched his right peck with his left hand. Dimitrov appears to be aware of the severity of his injuries when the trainer rushes to the court due to his inclinations.
Dimitrov then walked to the bench to continue receiving treatment before leaving the court for medical timeouts. After a while he returns to court to shake the criminal’s hand and concludes that he cannot continue playing.
The sinner placed his arms on Dimitrov’s back and walked to shake hands on the judge on the chair. The thankful Centre Court crowd gave Dimitrov a thrill as he packed his bags.
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The victory denied Dimitrov’s biggest run at Wimbledon since he reached the semi-finals in 2014. Thinner is moving forward to staying alive for its fourth Grand Slam victory since the 2024 Australia Open. Thinner won the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025, and won the US Open title last fall.
Dimitrov dominated before his injury
The sinner faced his first challenge with Dimitrov at Wimbledon after getting off to a sensational start throughout the first three rounds. France’s run to the Open Finals cruised in the first three rounds with scores of 6-4, 6-3, 6-0), (6-1, 6-1, 6-3), and (6-3, 6-1, 6-1).
However, Dimitrov quickly put the sinner to a test by breaking the first serve of the match. Dimitrov didn’t lose to the service game towards a 6-3 first set victory. Dimitrov then broke the sinner’s first serve again, and immediately controlled the second set.
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Thinner spins for the first break of the match, temporarily dodging a 2-0 deficit and tied the set at 5-5. However, Dimitrov defeated the sinner’s followers, then served to secure a 7-5 victory and a 2-0 set lead in the match.
The fear of the sinner’s own injury
Spelling more trouble for the sinner was a medical break during the second set. The sinner collapsed awkwardly in his right arm and was treated with his elbow during his break.
Thinner continued to break Dimitrov’s serve after medical timeout. He told reporters after the game that he had an MRI on the elbow on Tuesday to determine the nature of the injury. The Cinner is scheduled to play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
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Sinner and Dimitrov each served in the third set on their way to the 2-2 tie before Dimitrov suffered a tournament-end injury. His retirement marked the setback of Dimitrov’s latest injury in a career filled with them.
Dimitrov’s Grand Slam Injury Broken Heart
Dimitrov recently retired from the first round of the French Open with a thigh injury, leading American Ethan Quinn 6-2, 6-3, 2-6. He retired after ripping Wimbledon in the fourth round of 2024. He followed 5-3-year-old Danil Medvedev in the first set at the time of his injury.
Meanwhile, Dimitrov was forced to retire from the 2024 US Open and the 2025 Australia Open.
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After the match was over, the sinner spoke to the crowds at the Centre Court and the property of Dimitrov’s poor injured.
“I don’t know what to say,” Thinner said. “He’s an incredible player. I think we all saw this today. He’s been very unlucky over the past few years.
“An incredible player, a good friend of mine too. …I’m honestly saying he’s seen him in this position. If he could play in the next round, he would be right – but now I hope he has a quick recovery.
“Very unlucky from his side. I would not accept this as a victory at all. This is a very unlucky moment that we all witness.”
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Thinner is moving forward to facing No. 10 seed Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals in search of his first Wimbledon championship. Shelton secured a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory over unseeded Lorenzo Sonego early on Monday.
For Dimitrov, retirement marks another in a grand slam career where they were filled, as he continues to seek the first Grand slam final of his career.
