Jannik Sinner escapes upset as Grigor Dimitrov’s injury sends him to quarterfinals-OxBig News Network

World number one Jannik Sinner was handed one of the biggest escapes in the history of Wimbledon as an unfortunate injury to Grigor Dimitrov allowed him to progress to the quarter-finals on Monday, July 7. Having beaten Sinner in successive sets 6-3, 7-5, Dimitrov was on the verge of history as he was about to enter the Wimbledon quarters after a whopping ten years.

However, all of his dreams were shattered after an unfortunate pectoral injury forced him to withdraw from the match. The Bulgarian immediately fell on the ground after holding his serve in the third set as he felt some discomfort in his chest region.

He was taken away by the physio for a medical timeout as everyone feared the worst. Within a few minutes, a teary-eyed Dimitrov emerged and shook hands with Sinner to give him a walkover. Hence, the Bulgarian unfortunately missed out on scripting one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history as he walked away with moist eyes, barely controlling his tears.

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The crowd at Centre Court gave him a rapturous send-off as everyone sympathised with Dimitrov, who was determined to knock Sinner out. It was for the fifth successive time at Grand Slams that Dimitrov had to give a walkover due to injury.

As a result, a game which was heading towards a historic finish courtesy of Dimitrov’s lion-hearted efforts against the world number one, had a tragic end, serving as a cruel reminder of the uncertainties of life.

“Honestly, I don’t really know what to say. Grigor is an incredible player—we all saw that today. He’s been so unlucky over the past couple of years. Not only is he a great player, but also a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court, too. Seeing him in this position is heartbreaking. If there were any chance for him to play the next round, he would absolutely deserve it,” said Sinner in his on-court interview.

I don’t take this as a win: Sinner

Furthermore, the three-time Grand Slam winner said that he won’t take it as a win and mentioned Dimitrov’s struggles with injuries in the recent past.

“But now, more than anything, I just hope he has a speedy recovery. It’s incredibly unfortunate from his side. I don’t take this as a win—it doesn’t feel like one. This is just a really sad moment for everyone who witnessed it. In the last few Grand Slams, he’s struggled a lot with injuries, and to see him dealing with that again is very tough. His reaction today showed just how much he cares about the sport. He’s one of the most hardworking players on tour, and it’s truly unfortunate what happened,” he added.

The Bulgarian built on the momentum and continued to hold his serve, taking full advantage of an unsettled Sinner, who looked out of sorts. Sinner had no answer to Dimitrov’s service game as he scored 14 aces against the Italian. He made the Sinner drop his first set of Wimbledon this year and continued to dominate him as the Italian also had his fair share of struggles with an elbow injury.

However, after some medical intervention, Sinner returned to compete and earned a crucial break point towards the end of the second set. But his joy was only short-lived as Dimitrov managed to earn the break back in the very next game and sealed the second set.

The crowd was rallying behind Dimitrov as the two players were in a neck-and-neck battle in the third set. The Bulgarian was eventually betrayed by destiny, forcing him to end one of the best performances of his career due to a heart-wrenching injury.

After his lucky escape, Sinner will next take on Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal on Wednesday, July 9. Shelton sealed his place in the last eight after thrashing Lorenzo Sonego. Meanwhile, in women’s singles, Iga Swiatek also progressed ahead into the quarterfinals without breaking a sweat against Clara Tauson, beating her 6-4, 6-1.

– Ends