Grigor Dimitrov’s coach has played down the idea that the player’s injury might have been caused by the timing of the Centre Court roof closure at Wimbledon.
Dimitrov led world No 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5 in their fourth-round match on Monday, with the score tied at 2-2 in the third set. But at that point, Dimitrov fell to the grass on his backside, clutching his chest.
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Emotional scenes followed, as Sinner checked on a tearful Dimitrov, who spoke with his physios before it was declared that he could not continue. It is believed that the Bulgarian suffered a pectoral injury.
The retirement was the 34-year-old’s fifth in a row at a grand slam, and some fans and pundits theorised that the timing of the roof closure – between the second and third sets – might have impacted how warmed up Dimitrov was when he sustained his injury.
Yet Dimitrov’s coach Jamie Delgado, who previously worked with Andy Murray, told the BBC on Tuesday (8 July): “I don’t think so. I know some people might feel that way.
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“But Grigor actually – after the match – was [saying he was] liking when the roof went on, because he actually felt it got a little bit warmer in there, and his body loosened up a little bit more, even more than it was.
“I guess it’s a separate question whether it should have been closed or not. I mean, I don’t think it made a difference in his actual injury. But it should be an outdoor tournament and you should play outdoors for as long as possible – I don’t disagree with that.”
An emotional Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court (REUTERS)
Delgado’s latter comments were a response to a tweet by Murray, who wrote before Dimitrov sustained his injury: “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!”
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Delgado also said on Tuesday that Dimitrov and his team were “completely gutted, disappointed, heartbroken”. “The work that he’s put in to get to this stage and play in these kinds of matches against someone like Sinner, and Wimbledon’s his favourite tournament.
“He’s of course had a bit of misfortune in pulling out of the previous grand slams, but yeah, he was playing so well – tactically perfect, he was obviously executing it to perfection.
“It was one of the matches of his career, and as a team of course we thought he could push on and win that match, and who knows what goes on in this tournament? But it was a huge sadness today for us.
“I think emotionally will be just as hard [for Dimitrov as the physical recovery]. It’s getting harder to pick yourself up from those lows […] It’s gonna be tough, the next couple of months. We’re waiting for results on his injury to see how bad that is, but it’s gonna be a few weeks out for sure.”
Sinner checking on Dimitrov before the latter’s withdrawal (PA Wire)
Ironically, it was Sinner who was battling an injury earlier in the match, having hurt his elbow during a fall in the very first game.
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The 23-year-old Italian is pursuing his fourth major title but first at Wimbledon, and is hoping to put the heartbreak of a French Open final defeat behind him. In a modern classic in June, Sinner led Carlos Alcaraz by two sets to love before losing after a total of five hours and 25 minutes on the Paris clay.
And Sinner looked destined for more tennis heartbreak on Monday, as Dimitrov fought his way into a two-love lead in sets. But at 2-2 in the third, after a 10-minute delay to the start of the set as the roof was closed, it was Dimitrov who was left distraught.
After debuting on the ATP Tour in 2008, Dimitrov made a name for himself as “Baby Fed”, due to his natural talent and the similarities in his game to Roger Federer’s. However, he could not live up to expectations at grand slams, and has never gone beyond a semi-final.
In fact, one of Dimitrov’s three semi-final runs took place at Wimbledon in 2014, and he was on the verge of booking a quarter-final spot at the All England club when he sustained his injury against Sinner.
Sinner now goes on to play Ben Shelton, the 10th seed, on Wednesday.
