Grigor Dimitrov injury: Grand Slam jinx continues for Bulgarian as he retires mid-match from fifth straight major

Dimitrov was leading by two sets to none against Jannik Sinner, but suffered an unfortunate injury, forcing his withdrawal.

Centre Court witnessed heartbreaking scenes late Monday night, as Grigor Dimitrov was forced to withdraw from his match despite leading 2-0 against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. It was a devastating end to what had been shaping up as one of the most thrilling moments in Wimbledon history.

The match began with a tight opening game, with Dimitrov serving it out to gain the early advantage. He was then quick to exert pressure on the Italian, who was broken for the first time in Wimbledon 2025. Despite Sinner’s best attempts, the former SW19 semi-finalist continued to dominate his service games, boasting an impressive average first serve speed of 130 mph.

Dimitrov clinched the first set, and Sinner seemed to struggle with an elbow injury, which possibly hampered the extension of his forearm while executing his forehands. Once again, in the second set, the Bulgarian broke early, and was serving for the second set.

However, the top seed bounced back to level terms at 5-5. Yet, Dimitrov’s relentless aggression and determination saw him shrug off the setback and break immediately.

During the last three games of the second set, Dimitrov suffered a couple of nasty falls but quickly got back on his feet each time, much to the crowd’s delight, as he went on to take a 2-0 set lead.

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The 34-year-old seemed to be struggling in the third set, as he missed a couple of easy passing shots in the opening game on Sinner’s serve, which could have put the Italian in grave danger. Just when both players were looking for an opportunity to extract some sort of advantage, the horrible incident took place.

Dimitrov collapsed to the ground, unable to move his pectoral region. He turned to the Italian and muttered, “My pec is done,” the sparkle in his eyes fading as tears welled up — knowing deep down that his fate was sealed in that heartbreaking instant.

However, like any true champion, Dimitrov tried his best to play it down, hoping for a miracle. The physios knew it would be too difficult for him to continue, and when they conveyed this to the Bulgarian, he broke down, fully aware of how hard he had fought to reach this position. In that moment, he was literally in touching distance of a historic victory.

He returned two minutes later, probably to have one final word with the physio regarding any possible chance for resumption. However, it wasn’t to be, as he shook hands with Sinner, and the chair umpire, and walked off to a standing ovation.

Everyone on court empathized with the Bulgarian including the eight-time Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer, who stood in disbelief.

Last year at Wimbledon, the Dimitrov was forced to stop while trailing Daniil Medvedev 5-3 in the first set. The then 34-year-old reached the US Open 2024 quarter-finals before retiring down 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 4-1 to Frances Tiafoe. In Australia, Dimitrov had to quit while trailing 7-5, 2-1 to Francesco Passaro in the first round.

At the recently concluded Roland Garros, he was forced to retire while leading American Ethan Quinn by two sets to one, adding to a string of unfortunate injury-related exits at major tournaments.

As Sinner confessed during his post-match conference, he did not count this as a win. But he is through to the quarter-finals, and will face Ben Shelton for a semi-final berth.

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