Portugal Colonial - Emotional Dimitrov enjoys redemptive Wimbledon win over Mensik

Dimitrov defeated 15th seed Mensik 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Court One to banish the demons of his agonising exit last year.

The 35-year-old celebrated his redemptive success with an out-pouring of joy and disbelief so touching that the crowd rose to give him a standing ovation.

Dimitrov will play former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini for a place in the last 16, but regardless of how long his run in the grass-court Grand Slam lasts, he has finally expunged the bitter taste of his exit against Jannik Sinner last year.

The Bulgarian had been forced to withdraw due to injury within touching distance of a shock victory over Sinner in after taking a two-set lead against the Italian in the fourth round.

"I'm very emotional and a little bit overwhelmed at the moment," Dimitrov said before briefly halting his on-court interview as his tears flowed.

"All I wanted to do is just come out and fight, that was my goal. I didn't even think about winning or losing.

"I thank my team, my friends, my family and my girlfriend, everyone that has been with me through that path. The path here has been so difficult.

"It is all about conquering myself and playing tennis like I did today, regardless of the outcome."

Before injury struck against Sinner, Dimitrov had been playing some of the best tennis of a career that has promised so much but delivered too little when the stakes were highest.

Just as a potentially life-changing victory was within his grasp, Dimitrov suffered a right pectoral injury while serving an ace.

- 'All you can do is smile' -

He stayed on court for treatment before briefly disappearing down the tunnel, forced to withdraw in tears.

It was the fourth consecutive Grand Slam he had retired from mid-match and he didn't return to the ATP Tour for several months.

Dimitrov's mental scars took longer to heal than the physical wound he suffered that night against Sinner.

His form deserted him and by the time he returned to Wimbledon last week to practice ahead of the tournament, his ranking was down to a lowly 146.

The former world number three, who won the prestigious season-ending ATP Tour Finals in 2017, has never reached a Grand Slam final.

His breakthrough run at a major took him to the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2014 where he was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

That was a familiar story for Dimitrov -- the eternal bridesmaid -- as Sinner also went on to win Wimbledon last year after surviving his encounter with the Bulgarian.

Dimitrov lost in the 2017 Australian Open semi-finals and the 2019 US Open semi-finals.

Granted a wild-card entry into this year's tournament by Wimbledon organisers, Dimitrov has seized his chance.

After holding off a determined fight from Mensik in a pulsating clash, Dimitrov admitted he was relieved to avoid more Wimbledon heartache.

"Yes indeed. I got broken in the first game of the fourth set so that wasn't a great start. I looked up four or five times, hoping that I was going to finish the match before they decided to close the roof," he said.

"It was almost like deja vu, but all you can do is smile. What happened in the past stays there and I have to embrace what comes next, whether it is good or bad."

A.Santos--PC