Grigor Dimitrov has described having to withdraw from his Wimbledon round of 16 clash against Jannik Sinner as "one of the most painful moments of my career".
The Bulgarian was left in tears on Monday after he was forced to retire with a suspected pectoral injury.
At the time, Dimitrov had taken a commanding 6-3 7-5 lead on Centre Court but at 2-2 in the third set, the 34-year-old missed a low backhand volley and clutched the right side of his chest, indicating a potential injury.
After being helped to his chair, Dimitrov eventually left the court for further examination before returning minutes later. He then shook hands with Sinner to mark the end of the game.
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Following further examinations and consultations, it was established that the pectoral injury will rule him out of at least the next three tournaments, according to Bulgarian outlet TennisKafe.
This means Dimitrov will not feature in the ATP 250 clay court event in Bostad (July 14-20), the Masters tournaments in Toronto (July 27-August 7) and Cincinnati (August 7-18).
However, he is currently expected to compete in the last grand slam of the year, the US Open, when it gets underway in Queens, New York City, on August 24.
Grigor Dimitrov issues first statement since withdrawing from Sinner game
Taking to Instagram on Friday morning, Dimitrov opened up on what has kept him going through these "hard times".
He wrote: "Sometimes the heart wants to keep going… but the universe has a different plan for us. Having to withdraw from this match at Wimbledon was one of the most painful moments of my career.
"Thank you for the overwhelming wave of love — from family, friends, fans, colleagues, to the entire tennis community… your messages have genuinely lifted me through these hard times. Thank you all. Truly."
Dimitrov, who also uploaded a picture from his hospital bed, added: "Recovery starts now. I’ll see you all soon."
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."
"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."
Where to buy last-minute Wimbledon tickets
The Wimbledon ballot may have closed for another year, but it’s not too late to buy advance tickets if you know where to look.
If you don’t mind splashing out on the experience, Seat Unique has the option to book ‘VIP Debenture Behind The Server’ and ‘VIP Debenture Front 5 Rows’ tickets.
These tickets offer 'unparalleled views' of the court, so you won't miss out on any of the action.
As for resale tickets, you'll want to head over to StubHub and Viagogo.
Jack Kenmare