WATCH: Grigor Dimitrov sinks to his knees in pain after getting hit in the groin with tennis ball during Canadian Open 2R
Grigor Dimitrov was at the receiving end of a shot straight to the groin during his second-round clash against Aussie qualifier Rinky Hijikata at the 2024 Canadian Open. Dimitrov, who had received a first-round bye, took a while to gather himself before booking a Round-of-16 spot at the event.
This was Dimitrov's first outing since he retired from his fourth-round match against Daniil Medvedev at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Dimitrov was trailing 3-5 in the first set when he slipped and called for a medical time-out. He eventually retired from the game due to a knee injury.
The World No. 10 is currently back in action at the Canadian Open. In a clip by Tennis TV on X (formerly Twitter), Hijikata returned Dimitrov's serve, which was called out by the line umpire. Dimitrov tried to squat the ball away with his racquet before serving again but missed.
The clip showed the ball hitting Dimitrov straight in the groin. The Belarusian bit his collar and faced the advertising boards before falling to his knees in pain.
The crowd can be heard sighing loudly while a concerned yet smiling Hijikata can be seen going over to his opponent's side of the net to check on him.
Grigor Dimitrov's expressions fluctuated between smiling and grimacing before the play resumed. Brushing the incident aside, Dimitrov eventually handed his opponent a breadstick and a bagel, 6-1, 6-0.
Grigor Dimitrov to clash with Alexei Popyrin in R3 of the Canadian Open
Grigor Dimitrov will clash with Alexie Popyrin for a potential quarterfinal spot at the 2024 Canadian Open on Saturday, August 10.
Dimitrov started strong with an Adelaide International title to his name at the beginning of the season. He followed it up with a runner-up finish at the Miami Open where he lost to Jannik Sinner. After sustaining a knee injury at this year's Wimbledon Championships, Dimitrov has bounced back with a straight-set win over Rinky Hijikata in the second round.
Meanwhile, Alexie Popyrin has had a lukewarm season so far with a 16-15 win-loss record in the season. He defeated Tomac Machac in the opening round of the Canadian Open. The unseeded Aussie will come into the match after upsetting 11th-seed Ben Shelton in the second round.
The head-to-head between the two players stands at an even 1-1. They last met on-court at the 2021 US Open where Dimitrov retired due to injury.