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What happened to Grigor Dimitrov? Injury update as Bulgarian star retires hurt at Wimbledon
Grigor Dimitrov retired hurt with a muscle injury vs. Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon R16. Sinner, up two sets, advances to the quarter-finals.
World No. 23 Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov retired hurt from his match against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the Round of 16 match-up at Wimbledon's center court on Monday. As per reports, Dimitrov retired with a muscle injury. Despite being two sets down, Italian star Sinner will now progress to the quarter-final of the Wimbledon championship.
Dimitrov, two sets up against Sinner, was on his way to producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by knocking out the World No. 1. However, the Bulgarian's dream run at the center court came to a halt as he clutched his right chest after hitting an ace when the scores were level at 2-2 in the third set, and started shouting, “My pec! My pec!” - referring to his pectoral muscle.
Sensing his opponent's uneasiness, Sinner crossed over to Dimitrov's side of the court, as the Bulgarian sat on the grass, with his hand on his chest. Soon after, he was seated in the chair as his support staff inspected and nursed the injury, but that did not prove to be useful, and Grigor Dimitrov was taken inside for further treatment. All this while, Sinner was waiting for an update on the proceedings while chatting with his support staff. After a while, Dimitrov appeared from the treatment room and announced that he was withdrawing.
What Happened To Grigory Dimitrov?
Grigor Dimitrov suffered a right pectoral muscle injury at the Wimbledon Round of 16 match, as per José Morgado of Sport TV Portugal. A right pectoral muscle injury refers to damage to the pectoralis major or pectoralis minor muscle on the right side of the chest. They are caused by strain or tear from sudden, forceful muscle movements, or by tendon rupture.
Sinner Reacts To Dimitrov Injury
Jannik Sinner reacted to his unexpected win at the match against Grigor Dimitrov saying that he will not consider it a win, despite the scores telling otherwise. He said if Dimitrov progressed to the quarter-final, “he would honestly deserve it,” and wished a speedy recovery to his “good friend.”
“I don’t take this as a win at all,” the Italian said in his post-match interview. “I don’t know what to say. He (Dimitrov) is an incredible player, we all saw this today. He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years."
“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.
“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 an applause.”
