Dimitrov’s joyride ends in injury and tears, again

Grigor Dimitrov sat on court, left palm clutching the right pectoral area, and laughed almost hysterically as Janik Sinner sprinted over to check on him Monday night.

- Rutvick Mehta

Moments later, Dimitrov walked on court, the right arm stoically stationary, and wept after being arm in arm with Sinner. The barely believable events that played out on Centre Court was a microcosm of Dimitrov's tryst with tennis of late - from laughter to tears, from total control to turbulent collapse, from exceptional play to excruciating pain.

Just like that, in a matter of seconds, in a manner most sudden.

Just like that, his Wimbledon ended, his horrors of the past four Slams continued.

The 34-year-old Bulgarian was more than halfway into a realistic upset of the world No.1 when he was up 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in their Round of 16 clash. Dimitrov was serving seamlessly. The forehands were ripping past the Italian, the slices cutting through his gameplans.

It was Sinner’s every little movement that was closely tracked, given he had suffered a fall in the first game that put his elbow and serve under stress.