“When you have to represent the country, we must try to be. I played with 20 or more partners, with five captains, and was always available to represent the country, more than anything”
“I was now just one week at Klaus Eder in Regensburg to rehab and have already made great progress. I have hardly any pain and you almost can’t that I had surgery – except for a little swelling. [the swelling] needs to reduce more before I return to the court, but I’m patient. [...] I hope my good progress [will allow a] return in Indian Wells and Miami. If I’m back in shape sooner, I might even play a smaller tournament before on the ITF Pro Circuit!”
Novak Djokovic and Marian Vajda describing the Serb’s 2010 Roland Garros loss to Melzer from two sets and a break up as the turning point in his career:
“Even after he came back to me I wanted to work more and he was sometimes escaping. But then when we came to the court, he was focused, he was winning the important points, basically he was a fighter, he would never give up any ball. And then, after he lost to Melzer from two sets up in 2010, he looked at himself. Since then, he has had the momentum.”
“I lost that match and then from Wimbledon on, in the second part of the year, I started playing much better and being more confident on the court. I felt I got a huge relief mentally rather than anything else. My serve was coming back, and then the Davis Cup title came at the right moment for myself and my country and all of my colleagues, because that’s when I got a strong wind in my back, and it switched momentum.
“I haven’t watched any of it. Not one second. I normally don’t watch too much tennis to begin with. But when I’m home during a Slam, I just can’t watch. I know I should be there because I’ve earned my spot. I’ve worked and got my game to a certain level, and sitting home is tough to swallow.”
Fact. Regardless of the channel, country or tournament in question, Grigor Dimitrov’s tennis receives more love than most seasoned pros. Commentators bow to his image, comparing the Bulgarian to the greatest player of all time, essentially professing their undying love for his game whilst seemingly wanting nothing more than to take his forehand, backhand or serve out on a lavish date. This was certainly the case during last week’s Brisbane final, in which the Aussie commentators spent much of the contest adoringly narrating his every move – their eyes probably assuming the shape of hearts. During the final, one of the commentators even went as far as to say: “He’s a good looking player, and I say that because he does look good.” Well, nice to know.
I mention this because the hype, predictions and expectations placed upon him are essentially based on just that – his style and the superficial similarities to Federer’s game. It certainly isn’t his negative tour win-loss record or the fact that he is yet to grace even the third round of Grand Slam or win a title. One would expect the career of Richard Gasquet to serve as a cautionary tale towards those quick to launch the “Baby Federer” hype machine, but apparently those covering Grigor Dimitrov missed the memo. Instead, people are quick to falsely equate the style that Dimitrov’s tennis exudes with the actual substance and level required to reach the top echelons of the game.
Having said that, there was much to be impressed about from Dimitrov against Murray. The match itself was both engrossing and disappointing. On one hand, it featured entertaining, rapid all-court tennis. However, it was also frustrating in its utterly predictable mental collapse from the Bulgarian. He arrived on fire and looked to have the better of Murray until serving for the first set. Then, after a nervy collapse whilst leading 5-4 with a break, he briefly recovered only to fall apart in even more dramatic style in the tiebreak. The second set saw Murray’s level fall off the face of the earth, but once again Dimitrov squandered yet more chances and hammered the final nail to his coffin. It had the potential to be an entertaining and tight contest, but instead closer resembled a damp squib.
What impressed was the brand of tennis the 21 year-old exhibited. In the past, his athletic gifts and raw all-court style have shone brighter than any other aspect of his game, but Sunday made for completely different viewing as it was the finer aspects of his game that demanded attention. Most notable was his notoriously weak backhand. Murray unsurprisingly focused most of his attention to that wing early on, but rather than the backhand breaking down easily as usual and offering mostly ineffective slices and a weak spot for Murray to smother, Dimitrov responded by showcasing such impressive and improved variety on his backhand wing. He infused his driven backhand with powerful and flatter blows, weightier topspin, some loopier balls and the occasional angle. His slice too appeared a completely new stoke as he combined a variety of different types of slice – deep floating slices, more penetrating slices, and short and low slices with no pace. Rarely did the Bulgarian execute the same shot twice and this elaborate variety caught Murray off-balance, with the Scot unable to settle into any rhythm and forced to find solutions himself.
He also impressed with his instincts around the court. Court sense is generally an innate, natural talent and certainly an area in which Dimitrov has previously left much to be desired. But against Murray he approached the net at the correct moments and made sensible, logical decisions around the court. He also appeared especially observant of how Murray dealt with different aspects of his game. An example being in the first set when Murray began to struggle with short and low slices to his forehand. Dimitrov wasted no time in mercilessly exploiting that weakness with a slew of dropshots and no-pace low slices to Murray’s forehand side. In other words, he looks like he’s growing up and maturing before our eyes.
The question remains just what this maturity is and how far it will take him. Just a couple of days later he arrived in Sydney and shamelessly tanked the match away, quickly reminding us of exactly what we’re dealing with. Hype won’t reveal his true potential, but time will, and 2013 promises to be the year that tells us all we need to know about Grigor Dimitrov.
A while ago I stumbled across my old photobucket account, and with it many amusing, sad and iconic pictures I had long since forgotten about. I suddenly felt the burning and unshakeable urge to share these pictures (well, mostly this picture), and here we are.
When asked last week in Bastad to discuss the similarities between himself and Federer for at least the nine thousand six hundred and seventy-second time, Grigor Dimitrov immediately cut off the line of questioning with interesting retort.
“I am sick and tired of comparisons between my game and Roger Federer’s,” he sighed. “I have not won a single ATP event and I have reached only number 69 in the world ranking,”
Grigor’s handling of these Federer questions over the years have always been bordering on impressive. It could have been easy for Dimitrov to find himself completely carried away and sucked in his own hype, just as it could conversely have badly affected his career, but he always appears grounded and completely realistic when discussing his career. The same can’t be said for those so-called experts (including former coach Peter Lundgren) who look at his service motion, see his strokes and immediately lose their heads and run around proclaiming him as a future 97-time slam champion.
Really, you’d think people would’ve gotten over the Federer-Dimitrov comparisons after our years, but as evidenced by that interview, they’re going strong.
Generally, French players tend to seal matches between their compatriots and friends with a peck on each cheek. Nothing serious or alarming; it’s just how they roll. This meant that after Gael Monfils’ victory over Grigor Dimitrov, Dimitrov who lives in Paris at the Mouratoglu academy, absent-mindedly leaned in for a kiss. But it all went horribly wrong.
Who knows if it was intentional, or rather if he was expecting Gael to turn his cheek which clearly didn’t happen – with Gael hilariously looking half-amused and half-confused as he leaned back – but one thing’s for sure; he will never ever live that down. Not with players. Not with fans. And most certainly not with me.
Also, I think it’s safe to say that Dimitrov has single-handedly destroyed any ‘baby Federer’ comparison from this point onwards. Roger would never.
