Wimbledon 2025: Grigor Dimitrov retires while leading world number one Jannik Sinner, who helps him off court

Tennis can be a cruel sport, especially in the case for Grigor Dimitrov.

The 34-year-old Bulgarian was leading world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in the Wimbledon fourth round on Monday (7 July), on the verge of a stunning upset and first victory against a world leader in 12 years.

But as Dimitrov unleashed an ace to hold serve, he collapsed to the floor holding his shoulder in pure agony. After receiving on-court treatment and briefly leaving Centre Court, he was forced to retire for a fifth consecutive Grand Slam.

"I don't know what to say,” a solemn Sinner said post-match, “he is an incredible player and we all saw this today. He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine, we understand each other very well off the court.

"Seeing him in this position - if there was a chance for him to be in the next round, he would deserve it. I hope he has a speedy recovery. I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness.”

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