LONDON – Jannik Sinner fell down his right elbow and dropped his first two sets on Monday night as his rival Grigor Dimitrov had to resign with his injured chest muscles but headed to Wimbledon quarterfinals.
The No. 1 sinner did not participate in the match until he fell behind No. 19 Dimitrov 6-3, 7-5. But in the third set, Dimitrov stopped the game.
This is the fifth consecutive Grand Slam Championship, and Dimitrov failed to finish the game. He also did this at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in May, as well as last year’s Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
At the last point against the sinner, Dimitrov grabbed his chest with his left hand. He took a few steps, crouched down, and sat on the grass. The sinner walked to the side of the court to check him.
“My PEC,” Dimitrov told the sinner.
Dimitrov then went to the sideline, sat in a chair, and was checked by a coach and a doctor. The sinner knelt near when Dimitrov talked to them. After a few minutes of delay, Dimitrov led the medical staff to the locker room.
Soon, he reappears and says he can’t continue.
Two hours ago, the sinner was on the ground, seemingly in trouble. He was injured in the opening game when his foot stretched out from under him, he slipped and landed behind the baseline, stumbled his fall with his right hand while still holding the racket.
During the medical timeout that was 3-2 behind in the second set, the sinner shrank a little while the trainer massed his elbow. Sinner’s coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi looked at their boxes from their boxes.
Sinner, a three-time Grand Slam champion, will play the tenth-place Ben Shelton of the United States in the semifinals and receive a pill that can recover and play. He often shakes his right arm or rubs his elbow between points.
He entered the game on Monday and lost only 17 games in total, one man had the least record in the Open through three full matches.
After the second set, the game was paused, so the retractable roof of the stadium may be closed due to fading sunlight.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is not a fan of the decision, writing on social media: “It’s so ridiculous to close the roof at this stage of the game. At least an hour of light is left…. Still able to play in a set of tennis.
About half an hour later, the game was over.
