TEARFUL DIMITROV RETIRES DESPITE TWO-SET LEAD, BUT SINNER NOT SAFE WITH MRI PENDING

Jannik consoles a tearful Grigor Dimitrov. (Getty/Julian Finney)

The cruel side of tennis was on full display on Centre Court, leaving fans stunned.

A near-perfect opening two sets produced by former world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov sent him into dreamland against top-seed Jannik Sinner, in what was trending towards an almighty upset.

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In the opening game of the match, Sinner fell awkwardly on the ground as he sustained an elbow injury, making it uncomfortable to serve and hit his booming forehand with ease.

Down 2-3 in the second set, he took painkillers as he was treated by the trainer.

Soon after a short delay as the roof shut following the conclusion of the second set, Sinner escaped, but not in the way he would've hoped, as Dimitrov grimaced in pain on the grass with a 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 advantage, saying "my pec" multiple times.

A sign of good sportsmanship prevailed when Sinner raced over the other side of the net to check on his opponent, and 10 minutes later, the Italian carried Dimitrov's bags off the court as the gut-wrenching call was made to retire.

"He's been so unlucky in the past couple of years. An incredible player. A good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court," said Sinner.

"I don't take this as a win at all.

"This is just a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us."

It marks the fifth consecutive Grand Slam in which Dimitrov has retired mid-match.

The 34-year-old, who reached the semi-finals at the All England Club in 2014, has had issues with his hip flaring up from time to time.

Watching on from the stands was eight-time winner Roger Federer, as the Swiss maestro was captured in a state of disbelief.

Sinner and 10th-seed Ben Shelton, who knocked out Lorenzo Sonego in four sets, will meet in the quarter-finals, but will the three-time major champion step out on court?

The First Serve can confirm that Sinner was holding a large block of ice on his elbow before removing it for media duties.

On the eve of the tournament, he unexpectedly parted ways with fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, in what could come back to haunt him.

"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."

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