Wimbledon update issued after star collapsed in front of shocked centre court crowd
The Bulgarian was winning his match before collapsing to the floor in a heap as play was stopped
Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov gets treatment
(Image: AP )
Grigor Dimitrov is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a heartbreaking injury at Wimbledon, with coach Jamie Delgado confirming the Bulgarian will be out for at least 'a few weeks.'
The 34-year-old, seeded 19th, was in inspired form and leading world No.1 Jannik Sinner by two sets when disaster struck early in the third. At 2-2, Dimitrov clutched his chest in pain and collapsed to the court with a pectoral injury. He received immediate medical attention before briefly leaving the court, only to return and retire moments later.
It marked a grim milestone for the former world No.3, who has now retired mid-match in five consecutive Grand Slam appearances.
Delgado, who has coached Dimitrov since late 2022, told the BBC the incident was emotionally crushing for the team.
'Completely gutted, disappointed, heartbroken," he said.
"The work he's put in to get to this stage and play matches like that against someone like Sinner—it's really hard to take.'
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Delgado added that Dimitrov was playing "tactically perfect" tennis and described it as 'one of the matches of his career' before injury cruelly intervened.
Dimitrov did not fulfil post-match media duties on medical advice, and his team are now awaiting test results to assess the full extent of the damage.
However, Delgado admitted the road ahead could be long—both physically and emotionally.
'It's getting harder to pick yourself up after these lows,' he said.
'This is the tournament he looks forward to the most. He loves the surface, the setting, the history—he even feels half British.'
While there is no official timeframe yet, Dimitrov is expected to miss several weeks as he begins recovery.
Earlier on in the match, Wimbledon bosses decided to close the roof of the court at a crucial moment in the encounter.
Dimitrov served out the second set to go 6-3 7-5 up, and the referee came to the court to inform the players that the roof would be closed due to fading light, so they could switch the floodlights on.
There was a 10-minute delay while the roof closed and the umpire announced the decision to the crowd.
Two-time champion Murray raged at the situation.
He tweeted: "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. .its (sic) an outdoor tournament!"
Tim Henman, on BBC commentary took a different view, however.
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"It's a judgement call but there is time that could be played without closing the roof but certainly looking for a convenient time and certainly at the end of the second set at 8.25pm, they're not going to finish this third set without shutting the roof so this is probably the best time to close the roof and then let the players get back on it," he said.
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