“It’s not about winning, it’s about conquering myself”: Dimitrov defies a year of heartbreak to knock out Mensik and reach the last 32
A year after heartbreak against Sinner on the same court, Grigor Dimitrov (No 146) beat Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon last 32 – and a meeting with fellow survivor Matteo Berrettini.
Grigor Dimitrov, Wimbledon 2026 | © AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska/SIPA
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov produced the performance of his comeback on Thursday evening, beating Czech 15th seed Jakub Mensik 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round of Wimbledon a year on from the injury that had turned the same court into a source of anguish.
Ranked No 146 and playing on a wild card, the 35-year-old had every reason to fear the ghosts of last year, when an injury forced him to retire against Jannik Sinner from a winning position – a wound, physical and emotional, that has shadowed his year.
Those memories resurfaced in real time on Thursday. “I got broken in the first game of the fourth set, so that was not a great start,” Dimitrov said afterwards. “I looked up four or five times, hoping I’d finish the match before the roof was about to close again. It was almost like déjà vu, all you can do is smile at that. What happened in the past stays there.”
Dimitrov overwhelmed
That he channelled the moment rather than buckled under it was the story of the night. Dimitrov edged a tense opening set on a tie-break, lost the second, then reasserted himself to take the third and pull clear in the fourth, seeing off a Roland-Garros semi-finalist in a contest of the highest quality.
It was his eighth appearance in the Wimbledon third round and his first at that stage of a Grand Slam in 2026.
The win left him overwhelmed. “I honestly don’t have much to say other than I’m so happy to be back and playing tennis in front of you,” he said. “All I wanted was to come out and fight, I didn’t think about winning or losing, I didn’t even think about my body to that extent. The last year has been so difficult. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about conquering myself.”
Berrettini next
He thanked those who had stayed with him through the ordeal, from his team to a girlfriend watching from afar. “Every time I come to Wimbledon it’s extra special. I feel so loved and supported. Thank you for embracing me.”
Dimitrov had reached the second round with a straight-sets win over Australian Dane Sweeny (7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-5), while Mensik had survived a five-set opener against Englishman Toby Samuel (5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7)) before running into the Bulgarian’s revival.
He now faces a resonant tie against Matteo Berrettini, another former top-10 player whose recent seasons have been ravaged by injury and who has staged his own Wimbledon recovery this week. Dimitrov relished the pairing. “You play somebody else who’s been through a tough couple of years as well,” he said. “If nothing else, it’s going to be a pretty match, I’m looking forward to it.”
The pair have not met since 2019, have never played on grass, and are level at one win apiece.
Wimbledon 2026, men’s singles second round full results
J. Sinner [1] d. N. Borges: 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4
J. Brooksby d. I. Buse [31]: 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
R. Jodar [23] d. P. Carreno Busta: 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
S. Mochizuki (Q) d. E. Quinn: 6-2, 7-6(6), 7-5
H. Hurkacz d. S. Ofner: 7-6(8), 6-4, 6-4
T. Paul [21] d. S. Kwon (Q): 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2
J. Struff d. B. Nakashima [28]: 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 7-6(7)
D. Medvedev [8] d. D. Merida: 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
F. Auger-Aliassime [3] d. D. Prizmic: 7-6(2), 6-3, 7-5
M. Zheng (Q) d. N. Mejia (Q): 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 6-1, 6-4
A. Davidovich Fokina [22] d. F. Marozsan: 6-3, 6-0, 6-3
M. Fucsovics d. L. Tien [16]: 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-3
R. Safiullin (Q) d. B. Van de Zandschulp: 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5)
J. Fonseca [24] d. J. De Jong: 6-1, 7-5, 6-4
A. Rinderknech [25] d. M. Damm: 6-4, 7-6(1), 6-3
N. Djokovic [7] d. S. Tsitsipas: 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
A. De Minaur [5] d. A. Mannarino: 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Z. Svajda d. K. Majchrzak: 2-6, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3
K. Khachanov [19] d. Y. Hanfmann: 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
F. Cobolli [9] d. J. Duckworth: 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-1
G. Dimitrov (W) d. J. Mensik [15]: 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
M. Berrettini d. A. Fils [20]: 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
Z. Bergs d. J. Faria (Q): 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
A. Fery (W) d. O. Virtanen (Q): 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-3
T. Fritz [6] d. P. Kypson: 6-2, 6-2, 7-5
L. Sonego d. G. Diallo: 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 6-2
F. Tiafoe [17] d. J. Choinski: 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2
A. Bublik [10] d. K. Jacquet (Q): 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(5)
J. Lehecka [13] d. A. Molcan: 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
J. Munar d. J. Fearnley (W): 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-4
M. Giron d. Q. Halys: 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-4
A. Zverev [2] d. V. Royer: 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(3)
