"It's a huge sadness for us," says Dimitrov's coach after his withdrawal at Wimbledon
Grigor Dimitrov can't catch a break with injuries. The Bulgarian, who had managed to reach the round of 16 at Wimbledon, delivered an outstanding start to his match against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
However, after leading two sets to love, the world No. 21 was forced to retire due to a pectoral injury following a serve. The diagnosis has since been confirmed: Dimitrov is believed to have suffered a partial tear in his pectoralis major muscle.
This injury is expected to keep him off the court for several weeks, ruling him out of the two Masters 1000 tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati. The 34-year-old’s new goal is to recover in time for the US Open.
In tears as he left the court, Dimitrov was distraught in the moments following his withdrawal, according to his coach Jamie Delgado’s recent remarks.
"We (the team) and Grigor (Dimitrov) are completely devastated, disappointed, and heartbroken. The work he put in to reach this level and compete in matches like this against a player like Sinner—and Wimbledon is his favorite tournament...
Of course, he’s had some bad luck with withdrawals in previous Grand Slams, but he was playing so well, tactically perfect, executing the game plan flawlessly.
This was one of the best matches of his career, and the whole team believed he could keep going and win. And who knows what could have happened in this tournament? It’s a huge sadness for us.
I think the emotional recovery will be just as tough for him, if not harder, than the physical recovery. It gets harder and harder to bounce back from these tough moments. The next few months will be difficult.
We’re waiting for the full assessment of his injury to understand the extent, but it will likely take a few weeks before he can return," he shared in comments reported by *L'Équipe*.
Maybe too much work for a 31 year old if he pulled a major muscle.