What Does 2018 Hold for Grigor Dimitrov?

Grigor Dimitrov ended 2017 in perfect fashion as he unexpectedly clinched the ATP Finals title. The Bulgarian battled past Belgium’s David Goffin in three sets to secure the biggest victory of his career. It was the longest match in the final of the competition since 2008 with the sixth seed eventually prevailing in two and a half grueling hours. Can the talented 26-year-old build on his success in 2018?

Tennis fans at the O2 were hoping for the dream Federer-Nadal titanic battle in the ATP Tour Finals, but with the Spaniard picking up an injury, it proved impossible. Roger Federer was knocked out 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 by David Goffin in the semis of the end-of-season tournament and therefore didn’t make it either but fans were left far from short-changed. Dimitrov, who was making his debut in the competition impressively coasted into the final with four successive victories before adding a fifth and decisive triumph to his collection. He became the first player since Alex Corretja in 1998 to win on debut in the showpiece event.

Vallverdu’s role in this

The Bulgarian admitted he was ‘a little tired’ after the event, but he was clinical throughout and wasted few opportunities during the all-important third set. His coach Daniel Vallverdu immediately received a warm embrace from the champion once the tie was decided and the Venezuelan is largely credited with simplifying Dimitrov’s game and helping unlock some of the enormous potential that had clearly been waiting to be released.

The pair has worked together since June 2016 and clearly have an excellent understanding and working relationship, which is finally starting to bear fruit. Vallverdu’s pragmatic stance and logical approach to tournaments is the perfect folly for Dimitrov’s passionate but often inconsistent take on games. He has helped him become more level-headed and ensured outside distractions remain away from the courts and this has proved hugely effective. He’d previously split with former coach Roger Rasheed after crashing out of Wimbledon in straight sets to Richard Gasquet.

What about 2018?

Dimitrov moved up to number three in the ATP world rankings and admitted he was delighted to have climbed so high but insisted his feet would remain firmly on the ground. “I don’t want to get too hyped up because I’ve done well” he proffered afterward before turning his attention to 2018.

“Of course, one of my main goals is to win a Grand Slam tournament. This has always been, again, a dream of mine,” he mused, and many are predicting a continued upward trajectory for the 26-year-old. In 2017, he won eight of his 13 matches against top ten players and only lost one final. He landed four ATP finals throughout the course of the season which is his highest total as he triumphed at the Western & Southern Open, Brisbane International, and the Sofia Open before moving to clinch the ATP above Tour Finals. His previous success came back in 2014 when he triumphed at Queens Club.

Success in Grand Slams continue to elude the Haskovo-born star but many feel he is getting closer to landing one of the four major events on the tennis calendar and 2018 could be the year he finally steps up. In 2017, he managed to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open before being narrowly defeated by Rafa Nadal during a tense five-setter in Melbourne. He’d previously reached the quarterfinals three years previous and has a 70% win record down under which is his highest in any of the Grand Slams. His only other semifinal appearance arrived in SW19 as he progressed to the latter stages of Wimbledon 2014 before crashing out to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

He has had little success in the US or French Open but expectations will have risen, and he will be fancied to advance through the early rounds with relative ease this time around. The Bulgarian admitted he is prepared for those raised expectations ahead of his return to action at the beginning of 2018. Speaking about the Australian Open which gets underway on January 15, he declared: “I know I will be on the radar there,” before adding: “I feel confident, to be the last man standing is always a great thing.” The man who earned the nickname ‘Baby Fed’ admitted “lots of things are starting to come together” and put his remarkable improvement down to “…the constant work that I have been putting in”.

Dimitrov has been priced up as sixth-favorite for success at the Australian Open with sportsbet.io, which is a new online bitcoin site for those who love betting on sports. He is just ahead of the returning Stan Wawrinka and the increasingly erratic Nick Kyrgios in the betting and is currently +1700 to clinch his first career Grand Slam at the Rod Laver Arena, and many punters will fancy his chances of continuing that recent imperious form.

Back to 2017

He began 2017 with 15 wins from his opening 16 matches, and if he can get off to a prominent start once again, he may be hard to stop. He blasted a career-high 563 aces throughout the course of the campaign, and that is an area of his game which has improved dramatically. He won a total of 68% of points on his first serve, and he will need to maintain or improve this level of performance if he is to land his maiden Grand Slam in 2018.

He has benefitted from a number of top players suffering from injury-hit spells throughout the last few months of the year with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray just two of the names to miss out on the ATP Finals before Rafa Nadal’s campaign also came to a juddering halt. However, there can be very few arguments that Dimitrov is a much stronger character nowadays and also more of an all-rounder as a result of his hard work and recent success.

The Bulgarian’s weakest surface is clay having lost five of his nine matches in 2017, but he boasts terrific statistics on hard courts which will benefit him hugely at the Australian Open. Last season, he chalked up a 24-8 on the outdoor hard courts and 15-3 when transferring indoors. 2012 was the last time he ended the season with a negative record on this surface and the first Grand Slam of the season appears to be his best chance of success.

In 2017, he reached the semifinals at Queens and in Beijing and is likely beat his previous record of four ATP Tour titles this time around. Expect Dimitrov to set out to retain his titles in Sofia and at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and there’s every chance he could secure at least one of those crowns again.

His success in London has earned him $2.5 million and ‘rock star’ status back home in Bulgaria, and there is likely to be far more pressure on the shoulders of the 26-year-old during the 2018 season. Following his victory, he told journalists: “This means a lot to me, to my family, to my team but also for my country,” before adding: “I’m proud to be Bulgarian.” His progress throughout the ATP 250 and 500 events will be monitored closely by his new-found fans this year, and he must ensure he focuses purely on matters on-court.

Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer currently occupy the top two spots in the ATP rankings, and both will be back in action ahead of the Australian Open. The ageless Swiss star beat the Spaniard in the 2017 final, and they will both be aiming to make it to the latter stages once again. They are joint-favorites for the first Grand Slam of the season, but Dimitrov could have a huge say in disrupting their recent dominance down under. The 26-year-old has a negative record against both players having never beaten Roger Federer in six attempts while Nadal can boast a 10-1 record against his friend. This is one area in which Dimitrov will need to improve in 2018 if he is to become part of tennis’ elite and attempt to break into the top two.

It’s been a year to remember for Grigor Dimitrov, and he will need to maintain focus ahead of the 2018 campaign which gets underway at the beginning of January in the Southern Hemisphere. The 26-year-old has visibly improved under the tutelage of Daniel Vallverdu, and the pair must work together to land a first career Grand Slam. With dominant forces such as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffering from stop-start campaigns, he should be able to take advantage of being younger and in peak condition. His form dipped following a successful 2014, and he must ensure he doesn’t allow the same to occur once again. All eyes will be on Dimitrov when he takes to the court at the Australian Open, and there will be plenty of expectation surrounding the newly established world number three who will be hoping that he can thrive under pressure.