Watch: Emotional scenes as Dimitrov is forced to retire against Sinner despite leading two sets to love

Heartbreaking scenes unfolded at Wimbledon 2025 as Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire from his Round of 16 match against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, despite having a two-set lead. The Bulgarian looked in top form and was close to pulling off a huge upset before he got injured, handing Sinner a walkover.

Dimitrov won the first two sets 6-3, 7-5 and was level at 2-2 in the third when the injury happened. He suddenly dropped to the ground holding his chest in pain after serving an ace to level the score. He walked off the court for medical help and returned only to shake hands with Sinner to end the match.

Also Read: Djokovic on collision course with Sinner, keeps quest for 25th Grand Slam alive after entering Wimbledon quarters

Dimitrov breaks down in tears

It was an emotional moment as Dimitrov left Centre Court in tears. This was the fifth straight Grand Slam where he had to retire mid-match due to an injury. Fans and even his opponent Sinner looked heartbroken by the way it ended. A video of the incident has been shared on Wimbledon’s social media.

In his post-match interview, Sinner said he didn’t consider it a win because of the way it ended. Sinner had come into the match as a favourite, but Dimitrov had other plans before the unfortunate injury forced him to retire.

“I don’t know what to say. He is an incredible player. We all saw this today. He is a good friend of mine. Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance he could play the next round, he would deserve it,” Sinner said after the match.

“I don’t take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us. In the last Grand Slams he struggled with injuries and seeing him again with this injury is very tough. We all saw this with his reaction how much he cares about the sport. This is not the end we wanted to see. It is very sad. We wish him only the best,” he added.

Also Read: Wimbledon 2025: Electronic line-calling error and other controversies in ongoing edition of grass-court Grand Slam

Sinner has now reached the quarter-final of Wimbledon 2025, where he will face Ben Shelton of the United States. The match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 9 July.