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Sports World Reacts to Grigor Dimitrov's Agonizing Retirement at Wimbledon

Dimitrov was forced to retire despite being up two sets to none on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Ryan Phillips

Grigor Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner leave centre court at Wimbledon after Dimitrov retired from their Round of 16 match due to an injury.
Grigor Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner leave centre court at Wimbledon after Dimitrov retired from their Round of 16 match due to an injury. / Via Wimbledon on

Grigor Dimitrov was up two sets to none on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Monday at Wimbledon, but was forced to retire due to an injury. His retirement was agonizing to watch as the 34-year-old Bulgarian bowed out despite having an incredible chance to knock off Sinner.

After Dimitrov's heartbreaking exit, tributes and well-wishes poured in from the sports world.

As he prepared to leave the court, Sinner helped Dimitrov pack and carry his things in what was a wonderful show of sportsmanship. Sinner also later claimed he didn't think of the result as a win.

From the looks of it, Dimitrov injury his right pectoral muscle, making this the fifth consecutive grand slam event he was forced to retire from.

Sinner will move on to the quarterfinals where he'll face 10th-seeded American Ben Shelton. The 22-year-old Shelton topped Lorenzo Sonego in four sets to advance on Monday.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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