So is that the “grand final” he mentioned in February in Marseille? At 32, Grigor Dimitrov is entering the final chapter of his playing life. During this, he will have briefly rubbed shoulders with the top of the game, during his coronation at the London Masters in 2017, at the end of which he had reached third place in the world, and often disenchanted observers with his inability to reproduce this level of performance over time.
But for the past few months, the silky tennis Bulgarian has had an idea in mind. And it’s not just because Dani Vallverdu is his friend that he decided, at the start of the year, to start working again with the Venezuelan coach, already at his side six years ago during the best season. of her career. “I always gave the maximum, but this time we wanted to achieve something bigger,” he said Sunday after his victory, in two days, against the 10th world Frances Tiafoe (6-2, 6-3 , 6-2) and his first qualification for the knockout stages of Wimbledon since 2017.
An animal ambition
After several years without relief, the triple semi-finalist in Major (Wimbledon 2014, Australian Open 2017 and US Open 2019) is once again driven by animal ambition. “The main objective is always to win a Grand Slam,” he said in Marseille. That’s what I still miss. I’ve been so close, so many times, against some of the greatest players of all time… But the best is yet to come. »
Maybe this week in London, where he hasn’t lost a single set yet. Before Tiafoe, the 24th in the world had also cut Sho Shimabukuro (6-1, 6-2, 6-1) and Ilya Ivashka (6-3, 6-4, 6-4) by admiring his qualities of movement on grass, his backhand slice and his forward play (31/40 at the net). His 23rd, 24th and 25th success in 2023 when, for the past five years, he has won an average of 23 matches per season. “I’m starting to have experience and I know that if I keep doing the right thing, ticking the right boxes, staying healthy… It’s my own fight,” he announced. Now that’s the icing on the cake, the best part! You reap the benefits of all the work done over the years. I’m very excited, I don’t know why. It’s like a second wind, in my career but also in my life. »
