Top Seed Sinner Advances Following Brutal Injury to Dimitrov

At times, sports can be an absolutely brutal business. After a dominant start to what seemed like a colossal upset-in-the-making, tennis fans worldwide shared a moment of grief on Monday.

At Wimbledon, top seed Jannik Sinner was down 2 sets to none and looking to potential force a 4th set in the hopes of making a comeback against 19-seed Grigor Dimitrov.

Dimitrov had struggled throughout his career, especially lately, with injuries that had derailed high-level hopes.

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Fate struck again in his match on Monday, per ESPN.com:

Jannik Sinner advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals despite hurting his right elbow in a fall and dropping the first two sets Monday night, after his opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, had to retire with an injured pectoral muscle.

 

The No. 1-seeded Sinner hadn't dropped a set in the tournament until falling behind No. 19 Dimitrov 6-3, 7-5. But at 2-all in the third set, Dimitrov stopped playing.

"I don't take this as a win, at all," Sinner said while giving a reluctant on-court interview. "This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us."

 

It's the fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament where Dimitrov failed to complete a match, the longest such streak by any man in the Open era. He also retired at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in May, plus last year's Wimbledon and US Open.

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On the last point against Sinner, Dimitrov served and immediately clutched his chest with his left hand. He took a few steps and crouched, before sitting on the grass. Sinner walked over to that side of the court to check on him.

"My pec," Dimitrov told Sinner.

 

Dimitrov -- a three-time major semifinalist, including at Wimbledon in 2014 -- then went to the sideline, sat in his chair and was checked by a trainer and doctor. As Dimitrov talked with them, Sinner knelt nearby. After a delay of a few minutes, Dimitrov walked toward the locker room with the medical personnel.

 

Soon, he reemerged and said he couldn't continue.

Two hours earlier, it was Sinner down on the ground and seemingly in trouble. He was hurt in the opening game, when his foot gave out from under him and he slipped and fell behind a baseline, bracing his fall with his right hand while still holding his racket.

 

During a medical timeout while trailing 3-2 in the second set, Sinner winced as a trainer massaged the elbow. Sinner's coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, looked on from their box with concern.

 

Sinner was given a pill to take and play resumed. He frequently shook his right arm or rubbed his elbow between points.

 

The 23-year-old Italian is a three-time Grand Slam champion who will play No. 10 Ben Shelton of the United States for a berth in the semifinals. Sinner leads the head-to-head series 5-1 and has won their past five matches, all in straight sets, including at Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this year.

Sinner entered Monday having lost a total of just 17 games in the tournament, tying the record for the fewest in the Open era by man at Wimbledon through three completed matches.

 

Right after he fell behind by two sets against Dimitrov, the match was paused so the stadium's retractable roof could be closed because of fading sunlight.

 

About a half-hour later, the match was over.

 

Overall it was Dimitrov's 10th career retirement at a major.

"He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years. An incredible player. A good friend of mine, also. We understand each other very well, off the court, too," Sinner said. "I hope he has a speedy recovery."

 

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

There are moments in sports that are heartbreaking, exhilarating, joyous, and downright disheartening. The match Monday embodied many of those descriptions from start to finish.

The most touching moment of all, you'll just have to see for yourself:

It was an absolutely crushing end to what could have been a monster upset at Wimbledon. Sinner advances to the Quarterfinals where he will face off with 10th-seeded American Ben Shelton on Wednesday.

Source: ESPN.com