Jannik Sinner involved in 'bizarre' moment with Grigor Dimitrov seconds before devastating Wimbledon retirement
Grigor Dimitrov was left in tears as he had to retire despite being two sets up against Jannik Sinner – but the Italian made sure to show his support for his devastated rival.
World No.1 Sinner was in serious trouble against the veteran Bulgarian who had taken the opening two sets before a break in play during their Wimbledon last 16 clash to put the roof over centre court.
The third set had barely started though when Dimitrov suddenly hunched over clutching his pectoral muscle.
He was in tears as his medical staff assessed him and, as concerns rose, Sinner left his chair to see how his rival was doing.
That was a slightly unusual sight and Tim Henman said on commentary: "It's slightly bizarre for Sinner to be listening in to the conversation."
It was a touch of class from the big Italian and showed how much he cared about his rival, who attempted to play on but retired after just one point.
That ended his chances of a massive upset for which he was firm favourite with the first two sets on the board.
A shaken Sinner spoke to the BBC after the match and said it didn't feel like a win.
He said: "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. An incredible player, a good friend of mine. Seeing him in this position, he would deserve to play in the next round.
"I hope he has a speedy recovery. Very unlucky from his side, I don't take this as a win at all, this is a very unfortunate moment for us to witness. Seeing him again with this kind of injury is very very tough.
"We saw with his reaction how much he cares about the sport. Thank you for coming, but this is not the end we wanted to see. We wish him all the best."
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
30 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Gustaf Lagerbielke's Celtic exit confirmed as he leaves after two years with exact fee and sell-on clause revealed
CELTIC have confirmed defender Gustaf Lagerbielke has left the club to join SC Braga on a permanent transfer. The Sweden international had failed to cement his place in the first team at Celtic since joining from Elfsborg two years ago, making just ten appearances. 3 Lagerbielke was on loan at Twente last season Credit: Getty 3 Lagerbielke made just 10 appearances for the Hoops Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is reshaping his squad Credit: PA The 25-year-old was loaned out to Dutch outfit Twente where he impressed last season, but will now join the Portuguese side Braga in a €2.6million (£2.2m) deal. He's signed a five-year contract which will keep him at the club until 2030. Celtic may receive another £400,000 if certain objectives are met and they will also get 10 per cent of the profit from a future transfer. And Lagerbielke posted on social media in a farewell to Celtic fans on Tuesday. Lagerbielke posted on his Insta: "I want to thank you for the last two years. "To all the players I've had the privilege to get to know and share a pitch with. "To the staff who has always been there and that I've learnt a lot from. "And an extra big thank you to the supporters for always being there for the team and for making this club so special. "I wish you all the best of luck in the future and that Glasgow continues to be green and white. Hail hail 🍀" Lagerbielke is the latest player to leave the Hoops as Brendan Rodgers looks to reshape his squad. Ex-Celtic coach Eric Black on the Cup exit that rocked Scottish football plus life with Lubo and Dr Jo Centre-back Maik Nawrocki completed a loan move to Bundesliga 2. side Hannover, with the option of making the move permanent. Full-back Greg Taylor joined PAOK, Matthew Anderson has moved to second-tier Belgian side Kortrijk and goalkeeper Scott Bain signed for Falkirk. The £17million deal for Nicolas Kuhn to join Como is almost complete after the winger was pictured on a plane heading to Italy. Meanwhile, Celtic secured a 2-1 victory against Cork City in the second of seven warm up games ahead of the new season getting underway. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Herald Scotland
35 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Jannik Sinner cancels practice session after having scan on elbow injury
Sinner reached the quarter-finals despite trailing 6-3 7-5 2-2 against the Bulgarian 19th seed, who had to retire after suffering an apparent pectoral injury. Jannik Sinner progressed after Grigor Dimitrov suffered an injury (Jordan Pettitt/PA) But Sinner, who needed a medical timeout during the second set, revealed afterwards he would need an MRI scan on his right elbow on Tuesday. He underwent the scan in the morning and a scheduled practice session at 4pm on Wimbledon's Aorangi Park was subsequently cancelled. There was no official update from Sinner's camp on Tuesday but his coach Darren Cahill reportedly told ESPN the Italian had a hit indoors for 20 to 30 minutes. 'It was quite an unfortunate fall,' he said on Monday night after his match. 'I checked the videos a little bit, and it didn't seem a tough one, but I still felt it quite a lot, especially on serve and forehand. Jannik Sinner spoke shortly after his match against Grigor Dimitrov (John Walton/PA) 'I could feel it. So let's see. Tomorrow we are going to check to see how it is, and then we see. 'Tomorrow we are going to check with MRI to see if there's something serious, and then we'll try to adjust it.' Sinner, a three-time grand slam champion, is due to play American 10th seed Ben Shelton in the second match on Court One on Wednesday afternoon.
Powys County Times
40 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Wimbledon diary: Sir Ian McKellen takes in the tennis and fans pack Henman Hill
Gandalf witnessed some Centre Court wizardry on day nine of Wimbledon. Actor Sir Ian McKellen, who starred as The Lord of the Rings character, watched Aryna Sabalenka battle back to reach the women's semi-finals before taking in Cameron Norrie's quarter-final defeat to defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz. The 86-year-old was joined in the Royal Box by fellow thespians Sir Mark Rylance, Sienna Miller, Jodie Foster and Richard E. Grant, singer Katherine Jenkins and coffee magnate Giuseppe Lavazza. Former cricketer David Gower was among those representing the world of sport, while Scotland and Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay and Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber enjoyed the action from less exclusive seats. *** American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova celebrated progression to the semi-finals with a special guest. The 23-year-old was accompanied by nephew Jaxon for her post-match interview on Court One following a 6-1 7-6 (9) win over Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Jaxon, who turns four on Thursday, only arrived in the UK on Tuesday morning. An early birthday present for Amanda's nephew, Jackson #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2025 After ensuring his long trip was worthwhile, Anisimova said: 'My sister and her husband are also here and I'm super grateful that they flew in and got to experience this with me – it doesn't happen often.' *** The tension on Centre Court during Sabalenka's match against Laura Siegemund was broken when a mobile phone began to ring. The usual accompanying tuts and moans from other spectators grew louder when it became apparent no one could turn off the annoying ring tone. One unfortunate spectator was rifling through her bag trying to find the offending item. But it turned out to have been left behind by someone else and they were trying to locate it remotely. The phone was eventually found under a seat and handed to a member of security. *** Henman Hill was rammed late on Tuesday afternoon. Fans were glued to the big screen, with the majority cheering on British number three Norrie in his efforts to pull of a major upset against world number two Alcaraz. Barely a spare blade of grass was available as other spectators queued to join them. Quote of the day 'I'm more for line umpires, to be honest. Sometimes it's scary to let machines do what they want, you know (smiling)?' – Russian 17th seed Karen Khachanov joined the growing list of players to question Wimbledon's electronic line calling system following a malfunction during his quarter-final loss to Taylor Fritz. Picture of the day Wednesday's match of the day Teenage Russian Mirra Andreeva has been one of the standout performers in the women's draw. The 18-year-old, who is coached by 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, is bidding to reach a second grand slam semi-final and has been given another Centre Court slot after shining in front of Roger Federer on Monday during her fourth-round defeat of Emma Navarro. Standing in her way is 2021 Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. The 28-year-old Swiss player is also enjoying her best run at SW19, having missed last year's tournament after giving birth to daughter Bella in April 2024. Wednesday weather watch
