World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was on the precipice of a fourth-round exit from Wimbledon when he ended up on the receiving end of the absolute worst kind of good luck in sports.
Sinner lost the first two sets, as Grigor Dimitrov put on a sizzling performance of aces, net rushes and all-out attack in the face of a player who has been untouchable this first week in London.
A lightning storm was brewing, ready to remind a tennis world accustomed to the Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz duopoly that this sport still has its vicissitudes. But early in the third set, with the match on serve, Dimitrov hit an ace and seemed to seriously injure his right pectoral muscle.
He collapsed on the court, and grabbed his chest. Sinner made his way around the net and knelt next to his close friend, then helped him to his chair.
“I don’t know what to say, he is an incredible player,” a visibly shaken Sinner said, after Dimitrov came back from some brief off-court treatment and said he could not continue. “I don’t take this as a win at all, this is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.”
Sinner emerged unscathed from what would have been a shock result in a tournament that has been filled with them from day one. This one would have been different to all the others. This is how and why.
Grigor Dimitrov forced to retire hurt one set from beating Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon
