DIMITROV LEARNS INJURY FATE; SINNER UNDERGOES MRI, SKIPS PRACTICE

Grigor Dimitrov couldn't hold back the tears after an emotional mid-match retirement. (Getty/Marleen Fouchier)

The diagnosis of Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov's injury has been revealed, keeping his hopes of competing at the US Open alive.

Dimitrov produced arguably some of the best tennis of his career to win the first two sets against Jannik Sinner in their Wimbledon fourth-round on Centre Court.

But just as the world No.1 was clinging on by the barest of margins, suddenly, Dimitrov slowly fell to the ground as he held his pectoral muscle. After 10 minutes of treatment, he had no other choice but to concede defeat.

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A shattered Dimitrov didn't attend the post-match press conference, as he prioritised his body and prepared to undergo important scans.

His manager, Georgi Stoimenov, told Bulgarian outlet TennisKafe that the 34-year-old has suffered a partial tear of his pectoral muscle, which will sideline him for the upcoming tournaments in Bastad, Toronto, and Cincinnati.

Dimitrov is expected to return in time for the commencement of the US Open, scheduled to start on Monday, August 25.

The former world No.3's exit means that he has retired mid-match in his last five Grand Slam appearances.

It provides Sinner with a lifeline as he prepares to face 10th seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals. However, there are also concerns about the Italian's fitness.

Sinner, 23, fell awkwardly on his elbow in the first game of the match against Dimitrov, as he was forced to take painkillers and take a medical timeout in the second set trailing 2-3.

"I mean, it happened very early in the match, first game," Sinner confirmed in his post-match press conference. "Was quite unfortunate fall. Checked the videos a little bit, and it didn't seem tough one, but I still felt it quite a lot, especially serve and forehand. I could feel it. So let's see. Tomorrow we are going to check to see how it is, and then we see.

"Here they have good ATP physios, in any case. The doctor's good. Tomorrow we are going to check with MRI to see if there's something serious, and then we try to adjust it."

He underwent his MRI scan at 10am local time, but there is still no word about the seriousness of the injury.

The three-time major champion skipped his 4pm practice session on his day off.

Sinner's coach, Darren Cahill, spoke with ESPN to address the injury fear.

The well-renowned Australian confirmed that Sinner had a light hit indoors, but stressed that it's nothing to be concerned about.

"We went out to the indoor courts and fed balls to Jannik for 20-30 minutes, just to feel the ball," he said.

"He's going to be okay. It was just nice to get on court. It's impossible for him to take a day off.

"It's not a bad thing sometimes. The more you play on grass with the uneven bounces, the more your timing goes off... We've done that for a couple of years, so it wasn't out of the ordinary."

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