With 3 titles already under his belt this year, dethroning the Wimbledon champ and dating the most famous female athlete on the planet, it’s safe to say things are looking good for the young Bulgarian.
Grigor Dimitrov has been a name on most people’s lips for the last few years, with an all court game, model good looks and a one handed backhand that looks as though it could have been taught to him by Roger Federer himself. However, despite not winning a title on tour until October 2013 in Stockholm, has the tag of ‘baby Fed’ been a curse or a blessing for the 23 year old?
2014 has seen Grigor have his most successful year since turning pro in 2008 and with multiple top 10 wins under his belt, this could be the turning point in the future star’s development. One of the main differences in the rising star’s performance this year can be attributed to his new coach, Roger Rasheed; the former coach of Lleyton Hewitt and Jo-Wilifried Tsonga. Rasheed has stated that this success is the tip of the iceberg, with Grigor currently only reaching about 25% of his full potential, and at 23 years of age, we could be looking at a future multiple Grand Slam champion.
It’s not just Grigor’s on court activity which is making headlines having been rumoured to have been dating Serena Williams early last year. However, the Bulgarian was then suddenly linked to Russian tennis beauty Maria Sharapova, with Serena labelling him ‘the man with the black heart’. Despite this controversy, Dimitrov and Sharapova seem to be going strong, having been dating for over a year, making life that little bit sweeter.
Dimitrov is no stranger to success on tour in 2014, having already won 3 titles, and taking a few high-profile scalps along the way. Grigor started the year by beating fellow young gun Milos Raonic in the 3rd round of the Australian Open, progressing to his first grand slam QF and eventually falling the world no.1 Rafael Nadal in 4 sets. Grigor Claimed his first title of the year in Acapulco, beating Andy Murray along the way and eventually prevailing in a three set thriller against South African Kevin Anderson in the final.
Grigor took his second title of the year in Bucharest, without dropping a set in 4 rounds; defeating Rosol in the final. Another first time experience for the young Bulgarian this year was reaching the semi-final of Rome; losing to Rafael Nadal. However, Dimitrov suffered a 1st round loss at Roland Garros, but bounced back on the grass courts of London to take the Queens title, defeating Australian Open champ Stanislas Wawrinka on route, and saving 1 match point against Feliciano Lopez in a thrilling 3-set final.
Dimitrov’s most successful grand slam to date has proven to be Wimbledon 2014; entering the tournament unbeaten since his French Open exit. The Bulgarian survived and epic 5 set battle against the always entertaining Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the 3rd round. Dimitrov’s best match of the tournament came in the QF, taking out defending champion Andy Murray, playing the match of his life to defeat him in straight sets, progressing to his first grand slam semi-final where he will face last year’s beaten finalist and 2011 champion Novak Djokovic.
Dimitrov entered the tournament ranked 13 in the ATP South African airways rankings, however, this semi-final run at Wimbledon will see the 23 year old enter the top 10 for the first time, with a tournament win or final appearance seeing him crack the top 8. Win or lose against Djokovic in Friday’s Wimbledon semi-final, Dimitrov has had his best year to date, and the only way is up now for this rising talent. Can he go one step further and beat Djokovic or will this be where his unbeaten grass court run ends? One thing is for sure, with a game like his, confidence sky high at the moment and nothing to lose, why can’t he make it to the final? However, it will definitely prove to be his toughest test yet; time to see what he is made of.
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