The injury raises concerns for Dimitrov, who is currently ranked No.
Grigor Dimitrov’s bid for a second consecutive Brisbane International title ended abruptly on January 4, 2025, when he retired from his semifinal match against Jiri Lehecka due to a groin injury. Trailing 6-4, 4-4, Dimitrov received medical treatment on his groin and hip region at Pat Rafter Arena. After stepping off the court for further evaluation, Dimitrov briefly tried to continue the match but ultimately retired, giving Lehecka, 23, the opportunity to advance to his fourth ATP final .([newsday.com][1], [madhyamamonline.com][2])
The injury raises concerns for Dimitrov, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the world and is a former world No. 3. He has only one week to recover before the Australian Open begins on January 12 in Melbourn
Lehecka, who secured his first ATP singles title at last year’s Adelaide International, will now aim for his second Australian title. He expressed his concern for Dimitrov, saying, “I hope it’s nothing serious for Grigor. The first set and the first half of the second set had a good level of play. I would have preferred to finish the match in a different way, but I hope he’ll be all right” .([madhyamamonline.com][2])
The injury marks a setback for Dimitrov, who had been in fine form leading up to the tournament. He had recently won his first ATP title since 2017 in Brisbane and reached finals in Marseille and Miami earlier in the year. Despite the disappointment, Dimitrov remains hopeful and plans to rest and reassess his performance, focusing on upcoming events, including an exhibition with Novak Djokovic and finishing the year in Asia .([reuters.com][4])
As Dimitrov prepares for the Australian Open, the tennis world will be watching closely to see if he can recover in time to compete at the year’s first Grand Slam.
