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On Monday, Grigor Dimitrov was met with heartbreak at the Wimbledon Championships as he was forced to retire midway through his round of 16 clash against Jannik Sinner. Reacting to the situation, many from the tennis world, including Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Ben Shelton and more, were quick to extend their best wishes to the Bulgarian.
After dealing with back-to-back retirements from Grand Slam tournaments due to injury, Dimitrov was clinical in his campaign at the All England Club. After disposing of the likes of Corentin Moutet and Sebastian Ofner, the 34-year-old took on Sinner for his round of 16 clash.
During the game, Grigor Dimitrov was up by two sets and looked primed to cause an upset, when a pectoral injury during the third set forced him to retire from the match. Reacting to this heartbreaking development, the tennis world was quick to extend their wishes to the Bulgarian, with Paul McNamee writing on X,
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“Grigor forced to default… how desperately unlucky … did not deserve this… Jannik gets a lucky break.”
Novak Djokovic also extended his sympathies to the World No. 21, writing on his Instagram story,
“Brother.”
“Praying for you @grigordimitrov. You were ballin,” Ben Shelton added.
“What a cruel sport. Heartbreaking,” Eva Lys wrote.
Jannik Sinner extended his best wishes to his opponent, writing on Instagram,
“Get well soon my friend. Wishing you all the best.”
Several other tennis stars also penned a message of support for Grigor Dimitrov in this difficult situation.
““This isn’t cool at all. Prayers up for Dimitrov. Probably not the time to meme,” Nick Kyrgios wrote on X.
“Poor Grigor !!! Shoot….. doesn’t deserve that, man,” Rennae Stubbs added.
“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 an outdoor tournament,” Andy Murray stated.
“Grigorian down had so many injury woes and had to retire last 4 consecutive slams,” Brad Gilbert wrote.
“I don't take this as a win at all” - Jannik Sinner reacts to Grigor Dimitrov’s retirement handing him a victory
The Wimbledon round of 16 clash between Grigor Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner got off to an incredible start. The Bulgarian 19th seed dictated the pace of the game from the beginning, and Sinner looked visibly outmatched.
However, Sinner was saved from an early exit after Dimitrov’s retirement, but the Italian empathised that he doesn't consider this a win, telling media,
"I hope he has a speedy recovery. It’s very unlucky from his side. I don't take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.
For Grigor Dimitrov, this marks his fifth-consecutive retirement from a Grand Slam due to injury. The Bulgarian’s troubles began in Wimbledon last year when he injured his knee. After that, he pulled out of the US Open due to ‘physical issues’, retired from the Australian Open due to a groin injury, and withdrew from the French Open due to yet another leg injury.
