Jannik Sinner gives brutal verdict after Dimitrov retires in tears at Wimbledon
Grigor Dimitrov's dreadful injury jinx struck again t o give Jannik Sinner an extraordinarily lucky passage into the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The No.1 seed was two sets down and being comprehensively outplayed by the brilliant Dimitrov when the Bulgarian appeared to tear a muscle while serving at two games apiece in the third.
And after it was clear that his problem was far too serious to be remedied by immediate treatment, a tearful Dimitrov had to withdraw from the match, leaving Sinner to declare: "I don't take this as a win at all."
Remarkably, and cruelly, it is the FIFTH time in succession that 34-year-old Dimitrov has had to forfeit a Grand Slam match because of injury. Last year, Dimitrov had to pull out at the same stage during a match with Daniil Medvdev.
Ironically, he had given an interview on the eve of his showdown with Sinner, saying how happy he was to be pain-free during this tournament.
Sinner, 23, himself had needed brief medical assistance after appearing to hurt his elbow following a fall early in the match but it was Dimitrov's brilliance that had the top seed reeling at 3-6 5-7 2-2.
Dimitrov had dominated the three-time Grand Slam winner in all departments and sent down 14 aces. The bitter irony was that he injured himself while delivering the last of those aces.
Sinner - who now faces Ben Shelton, the American No.10 seed in a quarter-final on Wednesday - said: '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. He has struggled in Grand Slams with injuries a lot so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. We all saw by his reaction how much he cares about the sport and he is one of the hardest working players on tour.
"Thank you for coming, but this is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad. We all wish him only the best - let's give an applause for him and his team."
As well as the brutally unfortunate end, there was also controversy when it was decided the roof should be closed after the end of the second set.
It was a decision that left no less a figure than Sir Andy Murray far from impressed. He immediately took to social media, saying: 'So ridiculous to close the roof at this stage of the match. At least an hour of light left … well over a set of tennis can still be played … it's an outdoor tournament.'
In commentary, Greg Rusedski said the closure favoured Sinner but what ended up favouring Sinner was fortune - and Dimitrov's cruel, cruel fortune.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
12 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Liverpool 2 AC Milan 4: Florian Wirtz makes debut but Reds comfortably beaten with comical late mistake
Scroll down for match highlights RED ALERT Liverpool 2 AC Milan 4: Florian Wirtz makes debut but Reds comfortably beaten with comical late mistake LIVERPOOL suffered their first defeat of pre-season as they were run ragged by AC Milan in Hong Kong. To make matters worse, Arne Slot's side conceded a comical 94th-minute goal to compound the defeat. 7 Rafael Leao starred for AC Milan as they beat Liverpool Credit: Getty 7 Dominik Szoboszlai did grab a goal for Liverpool Credit: Getty Noah Okafor latched on to a sloppy pass from Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas to tap into an empty net. The goal was the forward's second of the match as the Serie A giants dumped four goals past the Premier League champions. The impressive Rafael Leao netted the Italian's opening goal after a dazzling run. The winger ran half of the pitch before slamming his effort past Alisson. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL LEFT A MARC Inside Marcus Rashford's on-off romance with childhood sweetheart Lucia Loi Dominik Szoboslai did level the match for the Reds in the 26th minute. The midfielder curled an effort into the top corner of the Milan net from the edge of the box. However, the second half saw Milan put themselves out of sight of Slot's men. Leao was in the centre of the action again as his slick footwork allowed him to set up former Chelsea star Ruben Loftus-Cheek. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN The midfielder made no mistake from close range to restore Milan's lead in the 52nd minute. Massimiliano Allegri's side then extended their lead as Okofor netted his first of the game with a slick finish from the top of the box. Darwin Nunez performs tragic Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota's celebration after scoring in first game since his death 7 Kostas Tsimikas played a sloppy pass in the dying moments Credit: viaplay 7 Noah Okafor was able to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili to the loose ball Credit: viaplay 7 And he tapped home into an empty goal Credit: viaplay Liverpool gave themselves a glimmer of hope of rescuing a draw as Cody Gakpo struck in the 93rd minute. But those hopes were rubbed out within a minute as Slot's side capitulated, allowing Milan to net their fourth of the game. The match did see Florian Wirtz get his first minutes in a Liverpool shirt, although he was not able to make a starring impression. Slot's squad has also lost a bit of depth as defender Joe Gomez has flown home from the tour in the Far East. 7 Florian Wirtz made his debut for Liverpool Credit: AFP 7 Exit linked Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz were not selected Credit: Reuters The centre-back is travelling with a believed injured Achilles. Forwards Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were both left out of the squad as they continued to be linked with transfers this summer. Liverpool will now fly to Japan to face Yokohama F-Marinos on Wednesday.
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Emma Raducanu makes worrying comment ahead of Washington Open semi-final clash
Emma Raducanu has made a worrying admission ahead of her semi-final clash against Anna Kalinskaya at the Washington Open on Saturday. The British tennis star has reached the last four at a WTA Tour event for the first time this year and has been in brilliant form at the American tournament. Raducanu stunned seventh-seed Marta Kostyuk before knocking out four-time major champion Naomi Osaka and former world No.3 Maria Sakkari. Next up is a showdown with Russia's Kalinskaya – and ahead of that match – Raducanu admits she is 'really struggling' with the heat in Washington. Temperatures reached 36 degrees during Raducanu's 6-4 7-5 win over Sakkari on Friday, with the Briton saying the conditions felt like 'you have just opened an oven and it just stayed open and your head is in there'. Raducanu, looking to reach her first WTA Tour final since winning the US Open four years ago, said in her press conference: 'I would like to say I'm pretty good in the heat, for the most part, but I was really struggling today. 'It was one of the toughest matches conditions-wise I have ever played in. Those points in the second set, I was getting a bit wobbly. I'm just happy I could close it out and it was two sets.' Raducanu had her vitals checked in a medical timeout late into the second set during her win over Sakkari. The 22-year-old had only just broken Sakkari's serve when the doctor was called onto the court. 'It was brutal today,' Raducanu added. 'Thank you to everyone for coming out and sitting through the heat. 'It's incredibly difficult playing, but actually, when I've sat and watched matches, in the heat when you're not moving, it's even harder. 'It's for sure physical, because if you don't have the abilities then your body will fail you. But at a certain point, it then becomes mental. 'I knew after the first or second game, it was such a long match, the first set was over an hour. 'It is mental and you just have to enjoy suffering as bad as that sounds, you just know you have to leave it all out on the court until you probably drop. More Trending 'I'm not feeling the best right now, so I just need to go and speak to the doctors.' The two players are set to lock horns around 9pm UK time today (Saturday, July 26) with the clash being shown live on Sky Sports Tennis. Sky Sports subscribers can also stream the match online via the Sky Sports website and app. MORE: Who's next for Oleksandr Usyk? Joseph Parker could get his shot but a third fight with Tyson Fury cannot be ruled out MORE: 'I'm sorry?' – Cameron Norrie surprised by 'disgusting' Emma Raducanu question during Wimbledon press conference MORE: Wimbledon respond to Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper complaints over key change
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Scottie Scheffler breaks silence on Open ‘fart-gate' & reveals who was responsible for leaving commentators in stitches
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER has broken his silence on 'fart-gate' that left the Open commentators in stitches. The American golfer was taking a shot at the green on the 17th hole when a fart noise was heard over the broadcast. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Scottie Scheffler has broken his silence on 'fart-gate' Credit: YouTube 2 A fart was heard as he took a shot at the Open Credit: Sky Sports The noise caught the attention of Andrew Cotter on the broadcast microphone. He and his co-commentator burst into a fit of laughter as the moment also went viral on social media. Scheffler, 29, has now revealed who was responsible for the comedic flatulence. It was none other than... HIMSELF. The world no.1 made the shocking revelation while making an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast. He was asked by host Eric "PFT Commenter" Sollenberger if it was he who indeed farted. Scheffler said: "Yeah that was me. "You are out there for six hours, eating some different food over there, some stuff is going to happen. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN "You never know where the boom mic is and what it is going to pick up. "I'm actually surprised it has not happened more in the past. Awkward moment fart noise stuns Open commentators into silence before pair burst out laughing "I did not think anything about it and afterwards I was shown the video I could see me standing on the 17th and I was like 'I know what this is'. "It was good, had a good sound to it, we were outside, perfect." Scheffler followed up the first-tainted shot by rolling in the putt for birdie. He finished his day one round three under before going on to win the whole tournament. His closest challenger was Harris English, who shot 66 to finish on -13.
