Things just don’t seem to get better for Grigor Dimitrov. The 2026 season has seen him alternate between the ATP and Challenger circuits, but he hasn’t enjoyed success in either. A run to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon may have been quite encouraging, but Dimitrov has now suffered a major physical setback just a month before the US Open.

The Bulgarian has pulled out of the Mifel Tennis Open that is held in Los Cabos, Mexico. The reason behind his withdrawal is an injury to his leg that he sustained during practice. The medical tests show that Dimitrov has encountered bursitis.

“Unfortunately, here in Los Cabos on practice on Friday, I felt something uncomfortable in my leg, which prevented me from practice over the weekend,” he wrote on an Instagram story. “After medical checks, it shows I have bursitis, and therefore it’s been recommended to me that rest and recovery is my best option. I’m so sorry to the event, as I was really looking forward to play here with such amazing Mexican fans.”

Bursitis is a condition where the small, fluid-filled sacs called bursae swell up due to pressure or injury. Dimitrov will be hoping that the setback isn’t anything serious, or else his participation in the US Open can be in jeopardy.

The 35-year-old was scheduled to take on Moise Kouame in the first round of the Mifel Open. This would have been the first time the two would have faced each other, but the match won’t be going ahead now. This would have also been the tournament where Dimitrov would have begun his hard-court season. However, he will now have to wait to return to the surface.

If the injury isn’t serious, he would want to be back in action with the Canadian Open that is set to commence on August 2. This is because it will be a Masters event, so a lot of points will be at stake. Dimitrov has competed in four such events this season, but his performance has clearly not been up to the mark.

The veteran’s best result came at the Indian Wells Masters, where he reached the second round before being eliminated by Carlos Alcaraz. He then suffered first-round exits in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. The majority of the season has been like that for Dimitrov. He has not bagged a single title and the level of his game has arguably regressed even further.

It felt like Dimitrov’s fortunes would finally change after he made a stellar run to the last 16 at SW19, but that didn’t quite happen. The Bulgarian then participated in the Nordea Open, where he recorded a hard-fought 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Dalibor Svrcina in the opening round. But then suffered a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Nuno Borges in the next match.

While it proved to be another forgettable campaign for Dimitrov, he still grabbed a lot of attention for his on-court actions during the first-round clash against Svrcina.

Grigor Dimitrov won hearts with his classy gesture at the Nordea Open

Dimitrov raced to a 2-0 lead after the first set went into a tiebreaker. The next point saw Svrcina bring him towards the net with an approach shot. Dimitrov reached there in time and seemingly won the point after his opponent’s return hit the net.

But Dimitrov was unsure whether he had played the ball before it bounced twice. He eventually overruled the umpire’s call and asked for the point to be replayed. This was quite a great gesture on his part as he had to work really hard to force the set into the tiebreaker.

Notably, Dimitrov had trailed Svrcina by 4-1 at one stage, and his opponent even had the chance to serve for the set at 5-3. But the veteran got the crucial break, and the set was decided through a breaker. Fortunately for Dimitrov, he would go on to win the replayed point, giving him a 3-0 lead.

Though Svrcina tried to mount a comeback, Dimitrov managed to close out the first set by clinching the breaker 7-5. He would eventually win this match in three sets.