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.
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