Jannik Sinner said he could not accept his progress against Wimbledon quarterfinals “as a victory” after the tearful Dimitrov was forced to retire.
As Bulgaria’s 19th seed fell painfully to the floor, the world’s No. 1 sinner stared at the shocking prospect of Dimitrov falling behind two sets.
Dimitrov, 34, is now forced to retire from his last five Grand Slam appearances, clutching his right pectoral muscles tightly and unable to continue after a brief medical timeout.
The Italian Sinner is a three-time minority champion and has become the ninth person in the open era, with seven consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals.
But it was not an achievement, and he felt he could celebrate in the central court on Monday night, but was only concerned about his friend’s health after a heartbreaking conclusion.
Sinner, who rejoined his stadium interview after assisting a devastating Dimitrov, said: “I don’t think it’s a victory at all, it’s just an unfortunate moment for all of us to witness.
“He had a lot of injuries in his last Grand Slam so it was very difficult to see his injury again.
“We all saw how much he cared about the sport, and he was one of the hardest players on the tour, which was very unfortunate.”
The 23-year-old added that before calling on the crowd to applaud Dimitrov and his team: “It’s not the purpose we want to see, it’s very sad. We all hope he can only do the best.”
