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.

THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB, LONDON — World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was on the precipice of a fourth-round exit from Wimbledon when he ended up on the receiving end of the absolute worst kind of good luck in sports.

Dimitrov most recently retired from the first round of the French Open with a thigh injury while holding a 6-2, 6-3, 2-6 lead over American Ethan Quinn. He 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.