Andy Roddick Reveals What He Believes Must Be Going Through Grigor Dimitrov’s Mind After Retiring from His Match Against Jannik Sinner

Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire from his fourth-round match against Jannik Sinner after he suffered an injury in the third set. The Bulgarian star was arguably minutes away from reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon after an excellent display until then. Tennis legend Andy Roddick revealed what must have been going through the 34-year-old’s mind after retiring from the match.

Dimitrov was poised to overcome Sinner stunningly at the Wimbledon Championship after playing his best tennis of the tournament. The Bulgarian was impressive with his precise forehand shots and movement in the first set. He wasted no time in dominating proceedings, winning the set 6-3.

In the second set, Sinner came all out for a response and pushed the former World No.3 to his limits, but the latter always had solutions to the problem the Italian star posed. Sinner, then called for a medical timeout for an elbow injury and that gave Dimitrov enough time to plan and counter the 23-year-old when he resumed play.

The third set resumed in the same fashion as Sinner appeared to be struggling a bit, and just when Dimitrov made it 2-2 with an ace, he went down writhing in pain. He was on the ground holding his right pectoral muscle before Sinner ran towards him and helped him get back on his feet.

A few minutes later Dimitrov called the match off. It was the fifth consecutive time that the 2017 ATP Finals champion would retire from a Grand Slam match. During Andy Roddick’s analysis on the Served Podcast about Dimitrov’s injury, he revealed that retiring from a Grand Slam match at 34 was the worst case for any player:

He is at the point where he wants that last big moment. And two, it’s probably a torn pec…Best case it’s a pull, worst case it’s a tear. That’s not a quick thing to get over. That’s not something you can hide from as a tennis player. You could see it on his face. The last time I played Wimbledon I did not know if I was going to retire and I did not know I would be back. But it crossed my mind for the first time ever, as I was walking off, and nobody else know this and I didn’t get hurt, but I guarantee this is a thought for him.

Dimitrov withdrew from his fourth-round match against Daniil Medvedev last year. He then retired from his quarter-finals clash against Frances Tiafoe at the 2024 US Open due to physical issues. The Bulgarian star might have only a few years to compete if injuries continue hampering his career at major tournaments.

Jannik Sinner praises Grigor Dimitrov after reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon

Jannik Sinner is into the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, thanks to Grigor Dimitrov retiring after sustaining an injury. This is Sinner’s fourth consecutive quarter-finals at Wimbledon, but he has only managed to reach the semi-finals once. Last year, he reached the last eight of the All England Club before losing to Daniil Medvedev in five sets.