Grigor Dimitrov Recalls Horrifying Moment Leading to the Injury Against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon

One year ago, Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire from his Wimbledon fourth-round match after suffering a heartbreaking injury while leading two sets to love against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. He was the only player to take two sets off Sinner in the entire tournament. The Bulgarian suffered a partial tear of the right pectoralis major muscle.

He was sidelined for nearly three months due to the injury and returned to competition at the Paris Masters in late October.

Dimitrov faced Corentin Moutet in the second round and defeated him in four sets. He then eased past Sebastian Ofner in straight sets before the ill-fated fourth-round match against Sinner. The 35-year-old recently, in a conversation with Patrick Mouratoglou and Stefanos Tsitsipas for UTS, detailed the events leading up to his injury:

When I served, I heard the same sound as when I caught my finger in my pants. I went to the net and wanted to volley, but my arm didn’t lift completely. I thought everything was fine, but then I suddenly started feeling very dizzy. I didn’t know what was happening…While serving, I felt as if my arm detached from my body to the other side of the court. I felt something in the center of my chest and thought I was having heart problems. When they took me outside and removed my shirt, the pectoral muscle was completely displaced and moving like this (gesture of moving it up and down). They told me I couldn’t play anymore. I couldn’t even lift my arm.

Dimitrov received a wildcard entry to Wimbledon this year. He recorded some notable victories, including a four-set win over No. 15 seed Jakub Mensik in the second round and an epic five-set victory against former runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the third round, before falling to British wildcard Arthur Fery in the fourth round.

Arthur Fery overcame Grigor Dimitrov in five sets

Arthur Fery rallied past Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-7) to reach the Wimbledon quarter-final. Fery weathered Dimitrov’s aggressive baseline game with composed serving and consistent shot-making to become the first British man to reach the Wimbledon semi-final since Andy Murray in 2016. Entering the tournament, Fery had won just two of his six Grand Slam main-draw matches and owned a 1-3 record at Wimbledon.

The 23-year-old has now reached the semifinal after defeating No. 9 seed and Roland Garros runner-up Flavio Cobolli in straight sets, bageling him in the last set. He became only the second wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, following Goran Ivanisevic’s historic run to the title in 2001. In the semifinal, Fery is set to face reigning Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev.

Fery, who entered the tournament as World No. 114, has now surged to No. 36 in the ATP Live Rankings. He would reach the No. 26 rank if he were to upset Zverev. The German, on the other hand, would overtake Carlos Alcaraz for the World No. 2 ranking if he wins the semifinal.

Also Read: Alexander Zverev Says Seeing Roger Federer Sitting All Alone at Royal Box During His Wimbledon Match Was ‘Phenomenal Sight’