World No. 1 Jannik Sinner advanced to the Wimbledon 2025 quarter-finals on July 7 after No. 19 seed Grigor Dimitrov retired due to a serious pectoral muscle injury while leading 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in their fourth-round match on Centre Court, per *ATP Tour*. The heartbreaking moment came when Dimitrov, after serving an ace to hold at 2-2 in the third set, collapsed in pain, clutching his right pectoral, per *BBC Sport*. Sinner, visibly shaken, rushed to assist his friend, helping him to his chair and later carrying his bag off court, per *The Guardian*.
In his on-court interview, Sinner expressed deep sympathy, saying, “I don’t take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment for all of us to witness. He’s an incredible player, we saw that today. He’s been so unlucky in the past couple of years… a good friend of mine, we understand each other very well off the court. If there was a chance he could play the next round, he would deserve it,” per *Express.co.uk*. Sinner later added in a press conference, “Seeing him with this injury is very tough. His reaction showed how much he cares about the sport. He’s one of the hardest-working players on tour,” per *The Economic Times*. Posts on X, like @TheTennisLetter, echoed the sentiment, calling it “hard to watch” for the “kind and hardworking” Dimitrov.[](https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/2078782/Jannik-Sinner-Grigor-Dimitrov-Wimbledon-injury-retirement)[](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/wimbledon-2025-jannik-sinner-advances-to-quarter-finals-as-injured-dimitrov-retires-while-leading/articleshow/122306372.cms)
Dimitrov’s retirement marked his fifth consecutive Grand Slam exit due to injury, following retirements at the 2024 Wimbledon, US Open, and 2025 Australian and French Opens, per *Sportskeeda*. The 34-year-old, who served 14 aces and outplayed Sinner with aggressive net play, left in tears to a standing ovation, per *The Standard*. Sinner, who himself took a medical timeout for an elbow injury after a first-game fall, will undergo an MRI on July 8 to assess its severity, per *ESPN*. He now faces Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals, holding a 5-1 head-to-head lead, per *ATP Tour*.
