At the recently concluded Miami Open, Grigor Dimitrov enjoyed one of the best weeks of his tennis career, making it to the Masters 1000 tournament final. Despite losing to Jannik Sinner in the final, the Bulgarian’s performance at the event was successful as it allowed him to reclaim his spot in the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
After losing to Sinner 3-6, 1-6, Dimitrov spoke candidly at the press conference on the pressure he experiences as a tennis player, emphasizing that for him, consistency was key. Dimitrov claimed that to bring out the best in himself, he focused on it during his comeback, acting as both a teacher and a critic of himself.
Dimitrov remembered his mother telling him that being a wonderful person was more important than just becoming a great champion. This is a lesson he has carried with him throughout his life. He has chosen to pursue his route and run his race, making him immune to the apparent limits of the tennis world, such as trophies.
He expressed his thoughts about it and said: “I, for one, also want to thank myself for the work that I have been putting in, for the discipline, for the hard hours that I have been, doing for the heartaches, for the pain, for everything that we’re going through behind the scenes. You need to also acknowledge those things. You need to embrace them as well. You need to cherish them. I also think those things are making you a better person. My mom always used to say that being a great champion is to be a great person.”
He further said: “This is the thing I have always focused on since I was a kid. I think at some point all the trophies and all that, it kind of paled in comparison to what else is. I think at the moment, all of us that we’re playing tennis out there, living our dream. So it’s a little window of our life, and I think after that it’s going to be different. That’s why I feel like right now I’m on a very interesting path. That’s what I’m saying, I’m running my race.”
Grigor Dimitrov says his mom always told to be a great person before being a great champion:
“I, for one, also want to thank myself for the work that I have been putting in, for the discipline, for the hard hours that I have been, doing for the heartaches, for the pain, for… pic.twitter.com/L7nxanJKI1
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 1, 2024
Grigor Dimitrov in 2024
Now ranked no.9, the Bulgarian played his last match on the 31st of March when he was defeated by world no.2 Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-1 in the final in Miami (draw).
This year Grigor achieved a composed 20-5 record. The Bulgarian clinched 1 title in Brisbane. Dimitrov was the finalist in Marseille and Miami.
Dimitrov will play next in Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (Monte–Carlo). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 7th of April.
