New Delhi: “They haven’t seen the bad side of life in a way. Nothing against them, they’re the two greatest players at the moment by far, by far,” said Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday when asked about Jannik Sinner, his next opponent, and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.“But if you look at it also a little bit from psychological points of view and the environment that they’re in and everything, with all due respect, they were playing the final [in Paris] and neither one of them had ever lost the final of a Slam. It’s kind of funny when you hear it. I was laughing. Actually, I was like, ‘yep, I get that’. Then why wouldn’t you be fearless?“But then with age, we all know that fear comes very differently. It creeps in. It’s not even about being fearless. It’s about exploring your opportunities. And they just go for those opportunities. But I think with time, let’s see how everything else would unfold.”At Wimbledon’s Centre Court on Monday evening, things unfolded in the manner that no one had imagined. Dimitrov was leaving Sinner clueless, out of ideas and depth.
The 34-year-old served big and hit even bigger from both wings. During the first set, Sinner struggled to navigate the 34-year-old’s serve to his backhand, paving way for numerous one-two punches.The Bulgarian led 6-3, 7-5 and it was 2-2 in the third set with two hours and eight minutes played. The clock, the play and the intense shot-making would end right there.Instead of what could have been his first top-5 win since March last year and first-ever against a World No. 1, he clutched his chest with the left hand. He took a few steps, crouched and sat down on the grass. “My pec,” Dimitrov told Sinner, referring to his pectoral muscle, as the Italian made his way across the net.Dimitrov then made his way to the sidelines, sat in his chair, was checked on by a trainer and a doctor. After a few minutes, the 21st ranked player walked towards the locker room with the medics. Soon, he re-emerged, almost in tears, and said he couldn’t continue.For the fifth Slam running, the 34-year-old Dimitrov failed to complete a match. He also did it at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in May, plus last year’s Wimbledon and US Open.His words to the coaching team at Flushing Meadows feel poignant once again: “You gotta be kidding me… of course!”Incidentally, it was Dimitrov’s physical prowess during his 20s that was the most crucial factor to him even if the big titles never came. The chiseled body and positive outlook stood out even if the tennis went missing for the three-time major semifinalist including at 2014 Wimbledon.And here he was, betrayed by his own body. Again.Even before he stepped on court, fate’s cruelty was lurking in the shadows. “I feel great. After three matches to be where I’m at physically, really gives me a good, positive and upbeat way to get out there and play my game,” the he had said after the third round.“That’s all I want, is to put myself in those type of positions, to get out there and play against these guys right now. This is in a way the most important thing for me,” he added.How much of a role did closing of the roof after two sets, because of fading sunlight, make in the whole thing remains up for debate. But what cannot be challenged is the quality of tennis that Dimitrov produced.Top-seed Sinner had not dropped a set enroute the fourth round. He had conceded only 17 games through it all. The head-to-head, too, was in Sinner’s favour (4-1).All that went out for a toss very quickly. Sinner took a tumble early on, was broken in his very first game and looked as if he was rushed into shots rather than dictating points.“I don’t take this as a win, at all,” said Sinner who revealed he had injury concerns of his own. “This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us.”Once again, it is Dimitrov’s philosophical words before the match that provide the most cruelty to his realty of almost causing the biggest upset this year.“This particular match for me, with all due respect, I don’t rate it as ‘wow’ match. It’s just another day for me to perform. It’s been a difficult six, seven months for me. I put a lot of work. I’ve struggled a lot.“That match has meaning for myself more so than anything else. But do I want to put any bigger occasion to it? No. I think I’m very content with what it is.“The rest is having fun. This is important. We’re in the second week of Wimbledon. Let’s have fun.”Unfortunately, that fun lasted for two hours and eight minutes before being stopped short by an episode we had seen before.
