Player NewsWorld No. 1 advances following injury to Dimitrov
July 07, 2025
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Jannik Sinner receives treatment from ATP physio Alejandro Resnicoff after his fall against Grigor Dimitrov. By Jerome Coombe
Jannik Sinner suffered a potentially damaging fall in the early stages of his fourth-round clash at Wimbledon against Grigor Dimitrov, who was forced to retire, while up two sets to none, due to injury.
In the first game of the match, the top-seeded Sinner attempted to reach a deep backhand and subsequently fell to the ground, landing on his extended right arm. The 23-year-old then dropped his serve for the first time in the campaign in the ensuing game and took a medical timeout to receive treatment after five games of the second set.
Sinner had reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the loss of just 17 games — equalling the Open Era record set by Jan Kodes in 1972 — but he was put under extreme pressure by Dimitrov in the early stages. The Bulgarian dropped just three of 34 service points in the first set, and caused havoc with his craft and guile, often executing slice and drop shots.
Due to the fading light, the roof on Centre Court was closed after the second set, adding a delay of approximately 10 minutes.
With Dimitrov serving at 1-2 in the third set, he attempted to hit a low backhand volley, swiping across his body to do so. After missing the shot, he immediately reached for his pectoral muscle. The Bulgarian then won the game on the next point, but quickly showed that he was in severe pain following his serve and was forced to retire.
Sinner’s run was in jeopardy, but the Italian is into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the fourth consecutive year. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next face 10th seed Ben Shelton, against whom he holds a 5-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage.
