Dimitrov was playing fantastic tennis, running Sinner around the court and delivering booming serves. Dimitrov won the first set 6-3 and survived a hard-charging comeback attempt from the Italian in the second to take the set 7-5 and put the world No. 1 in a desperate position.

Dimitrov retired from Wimbledon in the fourth round in 2024 with an abductor tear. He trailed Daniil Medvedev, 5-3 in the first set at the time of that injury. After the conclusion of the match, Sinner addressed the Centre Court crowd.

In a video of the moment, it looked as though the 34-year-old Dimitrov injured a pectoral muscle on a volley. Almost immediately after the hit, he fell to the ground, clutching the right side of his chest in pain.