Tears to Triumph: Dimitrov Downs Mensik on Emotional Wimbledon Return

Twelve months after he left Centre Court in tears, Grigor Dimitrov returned to Wimbledon and rewrote the ending — outplaying 15th seed Jakub Mensik in four sets to reach the third round, even as a closing roof threatened to drag him back into the past.

As Dimitrov closed in on another landmark victory on his return to Wimbledon, an unsettling sense of deja vu crept over him. Almost exactly a year after he was denied the chance to finish a stunning upset of world number one Jannik Sinner — leaving Centre Court in tears with a torn pectoral muscle — the roof began to edge shut, this time over Court One.

Back in 2025, before a 10-minute pause to close the Centre Court roof, the Bulgarian — long ago nicknamed "baby Fed" for the elegant echoes of Roger Federer in his game — had been producing his best tennis in years. On Thursday, as the wildcard bore down on Mensik, his mind flashed straight back to that defining night.

The scale of what he lost that evening is worth recalling. Dimitrov led the top seed 6-3 7-5 2-2 on Centre Court when he felt the muscle go while serving an ace. He crumpled to the grass clutching his chest, and Sinner — who went on to lift the title — was among the first to reach him and help him from the court.

This time, there was no heartbreak. Roared on by a captivated crowd, the 35-year-old sealed a 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-5 6-3 win and a third-round meeting with Italy's Matteo Berrettini — then, as after his opening-round victory, became emotional addressing the fans.

How he got the better of a big server

Beating Mensik on grass is no small task. The Czech's serve is among the heaviest on tour, and he sent down 31 aces across the four sets. Dimitrov absorbed that barrage and countered with the full range of his game, striking 39 winners against 32 unforced errors. The opening-set tie-break was the first sign that he had the nerve for the tight moments; after Mensik levelled by taking the second set, the Bulgarian edged a tense third 7-5 and then pulled away in the fourth.

It was a significant scalp. Mensik announced himself to the wider sporting world at the 2025 Miami Open, where as a 19-year-old he beat Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4) 7-6 (4) in the final to claim his maiden title at Masters 1000 level. He had needed five sets to get past Britain's Toby Samuel in the first round here, winning a deciding-set tie-break, while Dimitrov had opened his campaign with a straight-sets victory over Australia's Dane Sweeny.

"It's about conquering myself"

Dimitrov has been candid about the physical and mental toll of the injury that ended his hopes against Sinner. The tear to his right pectoral muscle left him doubting whether he would ever fully recover, and because he initially struggled to process what had happened, the true weight of it only landed months later.

It was the fifth consecutive Grand Slam from which he had retired hurt, and he did not return to the tour until October. Missing last year's US Open ended a remarkable run of 58 straight Grand Slam appearances. Since then the former world number three — now down at 146th — lost in the first round of the Australian Open and fell in the opening round of French Open qualifying. Before the grass swing began, he had gone out at the first hurdle in nine of his 11 tournaments. Against that backdrop, beating a French Open semi-finalist like Mensik meant everything.

It is easy to forget how high Dimitrov once climbed. The Bulgarian won the season-ending ATP Finals in 2017 and reached grand slam semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2014, the Australian Open in 2017 and the US Open in 2019. That run at the All England Club twelve years ago, which ended against eventual champion Djokovic, came in the same summer he won the title at Queen's.

Berrettini next: two comeback stories collide

His reward is a meeting with another player who knows all about setbacks. Matteo Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, has spent much of recent seasons battling injuries, but grass remains his natural habitat. He beat Stan Wawrinka in his opener and then knocked out 20th seed Arthur Fils 6-4 7-5 3-6 6-3 to set up the tie.

The pair are level at 1-1 in their head-to-head, but they have not met since 2019 and never on grass. Berrettini summed up the fine margins he lives by after his win over Fils.

Zverev: a big Wimbledon run is "definitely possible"

Alexander Zverev believes a "big result" at Wimbledon is well within reach this year after storming into the third round with a commanding win over Valentin Royer. Having lost his first three major finals, the German finally broke through last month, beating Flavio Cobolli to claim the French Open — his first Grand Slam title — and he arrives at the All England Club with fresh belief, despite never having gone beyond the fourth round here.

After Royer held serve in the opening game, the second seed reeled off the next nine and offered nothing until a wobble — a double fault at 4-3 in the third — handed the 75th-ranked Frenchman a break. Royer forced a tie-break, but Zverev steadied himself to close out a 6-1 6-3 7-6 (7-3) win in just over two hours, setting up a third-round tie with America's Marcos Giron.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Taylor Fritz — who beat Zverev in last month's Halle Open final — arrived in his tailored pre-match suit before dispatching fellow American Patrick Kypson 6-2 6-2 7-5, while Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur breezed past French veteran Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-2 6-2.