2 months ago
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Grigor Dimitrov is facing a race against time to be fit for the US Open next month after he heartbreakingly suffering an injury when he was on the brink of a major upset at Wimbledon on Monday.
Dimitrov was two sets up against world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the last-16 stage when he was forced to retire with the scores level at 2-2 in the third.
He first held his pec after hitting a volley long on his serve in the fourth game of the set. And even though he then struck an ace to win the game, he clutched his pec and dropped to the floor, before the Bulgarian was sadly unable to continue.
Dimitrov left Centre Court in tears to the dismay of the crowd after Wimbledon became the fifth Grand Slam in succession that he had been forced to retire from due to injury.
And on Tuesday, his manager Georgi Stoimenov gave an update to Bulgarian outlet Tenniskafe on his fitness and revealed how long the 34-year-old is set to be out for.
Stoimenov confirmed that the Bulgarian has a partial tear of his pec, which was determined after examination and consultation with highly regarded doctors.
Grigor Dimitrov suffered a partial tear of his pec in his clash vs Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon
The Bulgarian star, 34, was forced to retire when he was two sets up against the world No 1
After his retirement, Dimitrov's actress girlfriend Eiza Gonzalez sent him a heartfelt message
As a result of his issue, Dimitrov is set to miss three upcoming tournaments.
This includes a clay event in Bostad, Sweden, and two Masters tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.
The initial prognosis is that Dimitrov should be ready for the US Open, although with that tournament starting in just six weeks on August 24, Dimitrov will be hoping his recovery goes fully to plan to ensure he can enter the final Grand Slam of the year in good shape.
Meanwhile, after Dimitrov's retirement, he has been dubbed in some quarters as 'Wimbledon's unluckiest loser'.
And following the match, Dimitrovs actress partner Eiza Gonzalez sent him a touching message on social media.
Posting to her 8million followers on Instagram, Gonzalez, 35, wrote: 'Love of my life. I couldn't be more proud of you. You are BEYOND outstanding.
'This is just a moment that will pass and make you even stronger. But watching you today alongside the world was a reminder of who YOU are.
'You're a winner. We all saw it. And you'll do it again. I love you @grigordimitrov.'
Gonzalez and Dimitrov pubicly announced their relationship in May of this year
The Bulgarian star was visibly emotional as he left Centre Court after the match with Sinner
Gomez, who is also a singer, has starred in the likes of Fountain of Youth, Ambulance, Godzilla vs Kong and Mr & Mrs Smith during her acting career.
The couple went public with their relationship in May, and Gonzalez has described the tennis star as 'the man of my dreams'. Dimitrov previously dated former tennis star Maria Sharapova between 2013 and 2015.
Elsewhere, Sinner was also magnanimous after his victory and expressed sympathy for his opponent when he spoke in his on-court interview.
'I don't know what to say,' admitted Sinner. 'He is an incredible player. We all saw this today.
'He is a good friend of mine. Seeing him in this position, if there was a chance he could play the next round, he would deserve it.
'I don't take this as a win at all. This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.
'In the last Grand Slams he struggled with injuries and seeing him again with this injury is very tough.
'We all saw this with his reaction how much he cares about the sport. This is not the end we wanted to see. It is very sad. We wish him only the best.'
