There were tears on Centre Court at Wimbledon as much-loved veteran Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire during his clash with Italian superstar Jannik Sinner.

The popular Bulgarian was in command, too, leading 6-3 7-5 2-2 before breaking down physically and emotionally.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Dimitrov retires in Wimbledon clash with Sinner.

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The 34-year-old fired down an ace and then collapsed in pain with a right pectoral injury.

Sinner rushed to the other side of the net when he realised his friend was in distress.

The world No.19 left the court to receive retreatment but returned in tears, unable to go on.

It was a shattering blow for the veteran star who at times has been compared to the legendary Roger Federer.

With his good arm, he lifted up his own injured hand so he could shake the umpire’s hand ... he then waved to the crowd before crying into his towel. Federer was watching on and also looked emotional.

“I don’t take this as a win at all, this is just an unfortunate moment for us to witness,” said the top seed, who also needed treatment after falling on his elbow.

“He has struggled in grand slams with injuries a lot, so seeing him again with this injury is very tough.

“He has been so unlucky in the past couple of years. He is an incredible player who is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very well off the court.

“It is a very unfortunate moment to witness for all of us. In the last grand slams, he has struggled a lot with injury, and seeing him having this sort of injury, it is very tough. He is one of the most hard-working players in tennis.

“If there was a chance for him to be in the next round, he would deserve it.

“This is not the end we wanted to see and it’s very sad.”

Fans were shattered by the devastating scenes.

“Absolutely heartbreaking watching Grigor Dimitrov in such terrible pain. He has to withdraw injured 🥺 2 sets to 0 UP about to knock the world No.1 player out of Wimbledon. Man, that is unbelievably cruel. Dimitrov plays so well then this happens way too often. He must be cursed 😫,” one tennis fan said.

And another: “Gutting. To be in this position, to be playing so well against the tennis monster that is Sinner and to be forced out of the match. Genuinely choked me up, watching Dimitrov in tears.”

And another: “The greatest and unluckiest player of all time. We know who you are Grigor Dimitrov, true champ.”

After the match, Sinner was asked if he’d had another chance to speak to Dimitrov.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“I saw him, but in these situations he is with the team. I don’t want to get too close.

“We are good friends, but it’s a very tough moment. For me, going there and talking, I don’t think it’s the right moment. I don’t know anything at the moment.”

Sinner was also asked about the extent of his own injury to his elbow.

“It happened very early in the match. First game. Quite unfortunate fall,” he said.

“Checked the videos a bit. It didn’t seem like a tough one but I still felt it quite a lot. Especially on the serve and forehand. I could feel it.

“Let’s see. Tomorrow we are gonna check to see how it is. Let’s see.”

If Sinner is passed fit, he will play American Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal after the American downed Lorenzo Sonego 3-6 6-1 7-6 (1) 7-5.