Injured Grigor Dimitrov retires from Jannik Sinner match with two-set lead at Wimbledon
Dimitrov held a 6-3 7-5 lead against Sinner in their fourth-round match on Centre Court, but at 2-2 in the third set, the Bulgarian clutched his chest and fell to the grass on his backside – possibly struggling with a pectoral issue.
Advertisement
• LIVE: Follow the fallout from Dimitrov vs Sinner at Wimbledon
Dimitrov, 34, was checked by physios on the grass and then courtside, where he broke down in tears. He left the court for a couple of minutes before returning and declaring to his opponent and umpire that he could not continue.
The retirement was Dimitrov's fifth in a row at a grand slam, and he was visibly emotional as Sinner helped him off the court, carrying the Bulgarian's bags.
'I don't take this as a win at all,' said Sinner in his post-match interview, having checked on Dimitrov both on the grass and courtside. 'I don't know what to say. He is an incredible player, we all saw this today. He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years.
Advertisement
'An incredible player and a good friend of mine off the court. Seeing him in this way... If he could play in the next round, he would honestly deserve it. I hope he has a speedy recovery, very unlucky from his side and a very unfortunate moment for us to witness.
Grigor Dimitrov dropped to the turf in pain in the third set (Getty Images)
Physios checked on Dimitrov, who broke down in tears (Reuters)
'I think already in the last grand slams he struggled with injuries, seeing him with this is very tough: his reaction, how much he cares about the sport, he's one of the most hard working on tour. It's very sad, we wish him all the best and give him [the] applause.'
Ironically, it was Sinner who was battling an injury earlier in the match, having hurt his elbow during a fall in the very first game.
Advertisement
The 23-year-old Italian is pursuing his fourth major title but first at Wimbledon, and is hoping to put the heartbreak of a French Open final defeat behind him. In a modern classic in June, Sinner led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to love before losing after a total of five hours and 25 minutes on the Paris clay.
And Sinner looked destined for more tennis heartbreak on Monday, as Dimitrov fought his way into a two-love lead in sets. But at 2-2 in the third, after a 10-minute delay to the start of the set as the roof was closed, it was Dimitrov who was left distraught.
Sinner spoke to Dimitrov when the Bulgarian sustained the injury (PA Wire)
Sinner consoling an emotional Dimitrov (Getty Images)
After debuting on the ATP Tour in 2008, Dimitrov made a name for himself as 'Baby Fed', due to his natural talent and the similarities in his game to Roger Federer's. However, he could not live up to expectations at grand slams, and has never gone beyond a semi-final.
Advertisement
In fact, one of Dimitrov's three semi-final runs took place at Wimbledon in 2014, and he was on the verge of booking a quarter-final spot at the All England club when he sustained his injury against Sinner.
Sinner now goes on to play Ben Shelton, the 10th seed, on Wednesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Shane Gillis' hilarious ESPYs set was a litmus test for our uptight culture
Shane Gillis took a bite out of sports' biggest names during his opening monologue at Wednesday night's ESPY Awards. And it was a real sign of cultural health. The performance felt like an infusion of wheatgrass — cleansing out the residual crud left over from more than a decade of hyper-political correctness. The comedian went after everyone, slaughtering sacred cows on both sides of the political aisle and from all sensibilities. He mocked Shedeur Sanders' nepotism, Simone Biles' height, Aaron Rodgers' vaccine resistance, Shohei Ohtani's gambling scandal, the WNBA and professional girlfriend Jordon Hudson. Even Caitlin Clark made it into some zesty one-liners. 6 Comedian Shane Gillis roasted the sports world as host of the 2025 ESPY Awards. Getty Images And then there was Donald Trump, whose Hall of Fame-worthy way of inserting himself into nearly every big sports moment made him a prime target. Gillis' line about an Epstein joke getting deleted from his script was aimed at the current administration. 'Probably never existed actually, let's move on as a country and ignore that,' Gillis said. Right out of the gate, the comedian made clear that there would be no genuflecting when he name-dropped one of the most insufferable athletes of our time. 'Megan Rapinoe could not make it tonight,' he said before adding: 'Nice.' When only a few chuckled, he quipped, 'No? We're going to pretend she's a good time? All right.' 6 Matt McCusker and his wife Brittany Hicks laughed after Gillis told the crowd she was a WNBA All-Star — and they erupted into applause. @KFCBarstool/X This night of irreverence felt especially poignant because the sports world, judging from its stony-faced reactions, seems to have not made it through our country's so-called vibe shift without serious PTSD. As Gillis dropped gem after gem, the audience offered restrained feedback — lest they were caught giggling at anyone's expense. And for the viewers at home, it was also a litmus test: If you were offended by the jokes about the WNBA or Trump, perhaps you're too entrenched in your chosen echo chamber. 6 Gillis joked that both he and Caitlin Clark are 'whites from the Midwest who have nailed a bunch of 3s.' NBAE via Getty Images Remove the stick from your bottom. That goes for former ESPN personality Sarah Spain, who whinged on behalf of the more-progressive-than-thou set, writing on X: 'In a year of crazy growth for women's sports choosing an ESPYs host who doesn't even try to make clever jokes about women athletes (he at least *attempted* for the men) he goes with hacky 'no one knows the WNBA' bits, 'Pinoe is a bad time' & repeatedly insults Black women. COOL.' A piece in New York Magazine's The Cut read, 'Who Let Shane Gillis Talk about the WNBA?' — as if it's a precious entity that should be bubble-wrapped. Admittedly, I'm a massive fan of most anything Gillis Pennsylvania native is wildly funny because of his relatability and everyman humor. There's a lightness to his barbs; he is laughing along with you and critiquing himself in real time. He even kept a running commentary about the finicky reception. 6 Donald Trump, who regularly inserts himself into every big sports moment, was roasted by Gillis. AP 'This is not serious,' he quipped during a particularly stingy moment from the audience. Gillis has never shied away from third-rail subjects like race in sports (see his Alabama football desegregation bit) and joked that he and Clark have a lot in common. 'We're both whites from the Midwest who have nailed a bunch of 3s,' he said. 'When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most — fist-fighting black women.' Then he went in on Trump, saying the president knows nothing about sports. 'Every time a team comes to visit the White House, he's like, 'And you must be the guy who catches. Look at these guys, big guys, black guys.' 'And that's just when the New York Liberty visited. 6 Gillis made jokes about Simone Biles' petite stature. AP 'They didn't visit. That's just a joke.' Then came the finest moment of the night, when the audience told on themselves. 'Four-time WNBA All-Star Brittany Hicks is here. Everybody, give it up for Brittany,' Gillis said as the camera panned to an attractive black woman in a pink dress. And cheers erupted — pandering cheers, it turns out. 'I'm joking around, that's my friend's wife,' Gillis revealed. 'I knew none of you knew WNBA players. That's crazy you clapped for that.' 6 Shane Gillis and girlfriend Grace Brassel walked the red carpet before he carpet-bombed the sports world with insults. WireImage Hicks was clearly the best sport of the night. The show wasn't a convention of accountants. It was a gathering of the top athletes and other figures in sports. If anyone should know a four-time WNBA All-Star, it's the people in this room. But they've been conditioned to reflexively celebrate women just because they're women. It makes them feel like good people. Gillis finished with a nod to the late Norm Macdonald, whose brilliant hosting job at the 1998 ESPYs left us all so uncomfortable in the best way — an auspicious sign that the good guys are winning.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aryna Sabalenka stuns in tiny bikini on vacation with boyfriend Georgios Frangulis after Wimbledon heartbreak
Losing is never easy, but Wimbledon favorite Aryna Sabalenka is doing her best to get over her latest loss. Shortly after she was defeated in the semifinals by American pro Amanda Anisimova, the Belarusian tennis star jetted off on a luxury vacation with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, 36. On Tuesday, Sabalenka, 27, shared several pictures during her trip to Greece on Instagram, and she doesn't appear downbeat at all. "Selfie, swim, read, repeat 🔁," she captioned the post. One snap showed the tennis star lounging in a chair by the pool in a metallic green thong bikini, with the romance novel "Maybe In Another Life" by Taylor Jenkins Reid perched beside her on a chair. MORE:Inside the lavish life of 23-year-old Wimbledon sensation Amanda Anisimova Another photo, taken from behind, showed the couple arm in arm as they made their way into the seaside Spilla restaurant in Mykonos, Greece, during their vacation. She also shared a blurred selfie of her full body, while standing in front of a mirror, showing off her luxury Piguet watch. Sabalenka announced her new relationship with Georgios, a health food tycoon who owns superfood brand Oakberry, in July 2024 on Instagram. Fans leave mixed comments for Sabalenka after Wimbledon loss Fans quickly flooded the comments section, with some applauding Sabalenka for bouncing back from her tough Wimbledon loss. "You didn't win Wimbledon but you won my heart," one person commented. "More than well deserved," another person wrote. "Absolutely one of the most beautiful girls on the tour . Come back stronger than ever & win The US Open," someone else echoed. At the same time, several others criticized her for failing to congratulate the 2025 Wimbledon champ, Iga Swiatek. "Hey, why as number 1 in the world didn't she send congratulations to Iga for her victory? 👏" one person wrote. "I like you playing tennis. But no one word after after Iga's victory at Wimbledon? Really? It's just about having a little bit of class. You can't buy it ...," someone else quipped. "High time to congratulate 1GA, don't you think," another person echoed. "Having time to add posts but not having time to congratulate 1GA," someone else added. After she lost during the iconic match, Sabalenka did mention her "great opponents" in a post shared with her 3 social media followers, she just didn't acknowledge the winner by name. "Thank you @wimbledon for a special two weeks filled with great atmosphere and great opponents. I'm grateful I was able to compete this year and I will see you next year. 🍓🤍🌱," the 27-year-old wrote. The Belarusian star is currently ranked No. 1 in the WTA rankings. MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS: Cavinder twins share first update after undergoing breast augmentation together Megan Thee Stallion gushes over Klay Thompson on red carpet: 'He's the nicest person' Ohtani, Livvy Dunne, Aaron Judge and more stun on MLB All-Star red carpet Who is on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders roster? Meet the rookies, veterans and captains for 2025 NFL season
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound, dies in crash in Italy
MILAN (AP) — Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 24-mile leap through the stratosphere more than a decade ago, was killed in a crash Thursday along the eastern coast of Italy, according to an official where the crash occurred. He was 56. Italian firefighters who responded said a paraglider crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio. 'Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight," the mayor said. Baumgartner, known as 'Fearless Felix,' stunned the world in 2012 when he became the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body. He wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule hoisted more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth by a giant helium balloon over New Mexico. The Austrian, who was part of the Red Bull Stratos team, topped out at 843.6 mph — the equivalent of 1.25 times the speed of sound — during a nine-minute descent. At one point, he went into a potentially dangerous flat spin while still supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, his crew later said. 'When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about of breaking records anymore, you do not think of about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive,' he said after landing in the eastern New Mexico desert. The altitude he jumped from also marked the highest-ever for a skydiver, shattering the previous record set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, who served as an adviser to Baumgartner during his feat. Baumgartner's altitude record stood for two years until Google executive Alan Eustace set new marks for the highest free-fall jump and greatest free-fall distance. In 2012, millions watched YouTube's livestream as Baumgartner coolly flashed a thumbs-up when he came out of the capsule high above Earth and then activated his parachute as he neared the ground, lifting his arms in victory after he landed. Baumgartner, a former Austrian military parachutist, made thousands of jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers and famed landmarks around the world, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. In 2003, he flew across the English Channel in a carbon fiber wing after being dropped from a plane. Baumgartner said after his record-breaking jump in 2012 that traveling faster than sound is 'hard to describe because you don't feel it.' 'Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are,' he said.
