Grigor Dimitrov broke down in tears after being forced to pull out of his clash against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon.
Dimitrov suffered a suspected pectoral injury during Monday's last-16 tie against Sinner at Wimbledon.
With a two-set lead, he pulled up with an injury and laid stricken on the court before the top seed came over to console him in a classy gesture.
Dimitrov, who was leading 6-3, 7-5, 2-2, received medical attention on the court before going backstage.
Advert
After a few minutes in the back, the Bulgarian returned to the court and immediately signalled to Sinner that he was withdrawing from the match in a heartbreaking moment.
The 34-year-old was reduced to tears and consoled by the Italian, who helped his opponent clear up his equipment in another classy moment.
Advert
Speaking after Dimitrov was forced to retire, Sinner said: "I don't know what to say. He is an incredible player and we all saw this today.
"He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court.
"Seeing him in this position - if there was a chance for him to be in the next round he would deserve it. I hope he has a speedy recovery."
Advert
Despite securing a spot in the next round of the competition, the 23-year-old doesn't view his result over Dimitrov as a win.
"I don't take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness," he added.
"He has struggled in Grand Slams with injuries a lot so seeing him again with this injury is very tough. We all saw by his reaction how much he cares about the sport and he is one of the hardest working players on tour.
"Thank you for coming, but this is not the end we wanted to see and it's very sad. We all wish him only the best - let's give an applause for him and his team."
Advert
Sinner, who is aiming to win his maiden Wimbledon championship, is set to return to action on Wednesday when he faces USA's Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.
Nasir Jabbar