Grigor Dimitrov: From Resurgence to Resilience – A Journey to the Top 10

Grigor Dimitrov is proving to be in spectacular form, placing himself as the seventh best player of the year in the race to Turin and becoming one of the worst rivals you can face. There’s nothing like being back in the top 10 and feeling like your work and balance pays off. Thus, in a recent interview, the Bulgarian spoke about discipline and what he is really pursuing at this point in his career.

There is no doubt that Grigor Dimitrov He is going through one of the best moments of his career. With very good victories over great players, the Bulgarian won his first title in Brisbane since 2017. That, adding to the great results he has continued to achieve, Dimitrov returned to the top 10 in the world ranking after 6 years thanks to his spectacular time through the Miami tournament. There, he managed to beat the best players which included Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev or Hubert Hurkacz. Thus, the Bulgarian considers that his successes on the field of play help him to also value everything outside of the game. “I think that at the stage I am at in my career, with each passing year I appreciate more everything I can do not only on the track, but also in life”he confessed to the magazine Australia Tennis.

And this return to the top 10 has not happened by magic, but Dimitrov has known how to change certain things in his way of working to achieve what he is achieving. Together with his coach, Daniel Vallverdu, the Bulgarian leaned on his strengths and learned to prioritize certain aspects that influence his performance such as mental health or nutrition. Thus, this has allowed it to maintain good consistency from the end of last year until now: “The discipline, the hard work, all the dedication, adapting to very different players over that time… You have to be able to do that consistently. That’s been going on for the last eight, nine, twelve months and it’s been difficult. I had very, very difficult games that I lost, but I kept believing.”.

On the other hand, in that talk with the magazine, Grigor also admitted that, at the beginning of his career, perhaps the respect and admiration towards the big names on the circuit such as Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal y Novak Djokovic They did not let him find that balance that he now enjoys. “I would say that tennis uses the same language as life, it teaches you. Discipline is freedom, whether you play a match or not. Many of the things I do now I have as a lifestyle. There are so many things that are related and I don’t take them for granted at all. That didn’t help me much when I had to compete against them and I think I had to learn that a little more over time. I remember thinking, ‘okay, I need to learn to separate those things and put them in a different compartment.'”

-Living with several vintage players and focused on the present

The truth is that Grigor has had the luck or misfortune, depending on how you look at it, to coincide with several generations of players who have marked history in tennis. For example, in the beginning he faced Andy Roddick o Lleyton Hewittlater to the ‘Big 3’ and now shares a track with Alcaraz, Sinner and company. “It’s very interesting for me to see in some ways three eras in which I have played and even players from much earlier towards the end of their career. I am in a unique position and very fortunate to be able to compete with each of them“, confessed a delighted Dimitrov.

However, the former world number 3 has to look to the future, a future that he can only conceive of by living day to day and without great pretensions. “One thing I have learned not only in the sport I play but even outside, is that we only have that moment in front of us. I’ve been in the top 10 before, I was number 3 in the world. Everything was great, don’t get me wrong, but now I have a different quest, I have different battles to fight right now. The only thing I know is that I am conquering them step by step. At the end of the day, things will go in the right direction.”

2024-04-17 10:33:30
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