Jannik Sinner carried Grigor Dimitrov’s bags off the court for him on Monday, after the latter sustained a heartbreaking injury while leading their Wimbledon match.
Dimitrov led the world No 1 by a score of 6-3, 7-5 when he dropped to the grass, clutching his chest and seemingly suffering a pectoral issue.
Dimitrov, 34, was checked on by Sinner, 23, before getting advice from physios courtside. Dimitrov began to break down in tears and, after leaving the court and returning a few minutes later, it was announced that he could not continue.
The retirement, his fifth in a row at a grand slam, cost him a potential upset against Sinner and a spot in the quarter-finals.
Sinner, who graciously carried the Bulgarian’s bags off court for him, said in his post-match interview: “I don’t take this as a win at all. I don’t know what to say. He is an incredible player, we all saw this today. He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years.
“An incredible player and a good friend of mine off the court, seeing him in this way... If he could play in the next round, he would honestly deserve it. I hope he has a speedy recovery, very unlucky from his side and a very unfortunate moment for us to witness.
“I think already in the last grand slams he struggled with injuries, seeing him with this is very tough: his reaction, how much he cares about the sport, he's one of the most hard working on tour. It’s very sad, we wish him all the best and give him an applause.”
Ironically, it was Sinner who was battling an injury earlier in the match, having hurt his elbow during a fall in the very first game.
The Italian is pursuing his fourth major title but first at Wimbledon, and is hoping to put the heartbreak of a French Open final defeat behind him. In a modern classic in June, Sinner led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to love before losing after a total of five hours and 25 minutes on the Paris clay.
And Sinner looked destined for more tennis heartbreak on Monday (7 July), as Dimitrov fought his way into a two-love lead in sets. But at 2-2 in the third frame, it was Dimitrov who was left distraught.
After debuting on the ATP Tour in 2008, Dimitrov made a name for himself as “Baby Fed”, due to his natural talent and the resemblance of his game to Roger Federer’s. However, he could not live up to expectations at the grand slams, and has never gone beyond a semi-final.
In fact, one of Dimitrov’s three semi-final runs took place at Wimbledon in 2014, and he was on the verge of booking a quarter-final spot at the All England club when he sustained his injury against Sinner.
Sinner now goes on to play Benjamin Shelton, the 10th seed, on Wednesday (9 July).
