Grigor Dimitrov

[Lleyton]

[Barty]

[Barty]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6geT4aL ... XFatg1s-iX[/youtube]

[robpal]

[Lucas]

Dimitrov: "I Love Competing Against Him"

Spoiler:

Although one player must always come out second best in tennis, respect never fails to come first.

Sunday night saw three hours, 26 minutes of bullet service winners and slices as sharp as a razor’s edge, but it was Grigor Dimitrov who carved out victory over Nick Kyrgios, shooting his way into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the second straight year.

As the two embraced at the net following one last glorious passing shot winner off the racquet of the Bulgarian, Kyrgios looked at Dimitrov, the opponent not seconds ago standing in his way of becoming the first Australian to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup since Mark Edmondson in 1976, and spoke one word to him.

“Believe,” said Kyrgios, inspiring Dimitrov with his own now-forsaken title hopes.

The respect between these two competitors quickly extinguished the fire of competition, kindled by Grand Slam ambition and fueled by the raw will to win. Both have played each other on the sport’s biggest stages, with Dimitrov conquering Kyrgios to claim his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and the Aussie bettering the Bulgarian just weeks ago en route to his first title on home soil in Brisbane. In press, Dimitrov commented on their off-court relationship and their words exchanged at the net.

“I think we were very great with each other. When we are off the court I think we have a lot of respect with each other,” said Dimitrov.

“I have seen a lot of positivity from him the past weeks, I would say. So I just obviously wished him good luck and to keep on going that way. I think it's important, and again, we all play this game to have fun, to enjoy it. I know it's a big battle out there, but we are humans, above all. Yes, we compete there, but you have got to be human, above all.”

Kyrgios, who at 22 plays with as much tempest as he does talent, has shown much improvement in 2018 to mature his game and in his approach to the tour life.

“I think he's just improving, really," Dimitrov said. "Again, he's a great guy. And in a way that's why we play the game. I love competing against him,” said the third-seeded Bulgarian, who next faces Kyle Edmund for a spot in the semi-finals.

“I know it's frustrating at times, very frustrating, but at the same time it's for the love of the game, and I love the game. That's why I think tonight was such a good match on both ends because that was a Grand Slam match.”

But what exactly did the two say at the net? Dimitrov was pressed on it, but didn’t budge.

“I think it's way better to be personal. Obviously wished him good luck and believe in himself and keep playing. The rest is between us.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/aus ... v-reaction

[Damian]

Dimitrov Praises Edmund, Searches For Silver Lining

Spoiler:

World No. 3 looks for positives after four-set loss to Edmund
Grigor Dimitrov was nothing but complimentary towards Kyle Edmund after seeing his bid for a first Grand Slam title come to an end at the hands of the British No. 2 at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Read & Watch: Edmund Powers Into Maiden Slam Semi-Final
“Kyle deserves all the respect. He deserved to win, simple as that,” said Dimitrov. “He's been working so hard the past months. I've seen that. There's no point for me to say what I did wrong… it's all about him right now. He's the winner.”

The Brit, who moves into the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career, will face Croatia's Marin Cilic in the semi-finals. Having seen most of Edmund’s matches at the tournament, Dimitrov was philosophical about the 23-year-old’s chances of going all the way in Melbourne.

“Once you reach that stage of a Grand Slam, anything can happen really. It's really how much you want it. These kinds of opportunities don't always come… so once you have them, try to make the most out of them."

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Taking just a week of rest after winning the Nitto ATP Finals in November 2017, Dimitrov produced semi-final and quarter-final results at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp and the Australian Open, respectively. Now, with a tiring first month of the 2018 ATP World Tour season behind him, the Bulgarian star took a moment to address his immediate emotions after a tough loss.

“It's hard to hide a disappointment. I am disappointed. It's how I feel. It hurts, and so it should. Right now I won't think too rationally, simple as that. I need to give myself a couple of days just to relax a little bit and do things I don't get a chance to do during the tournament, and reassess the whole Australian trip.

“I think overall it wasn't a bad one, but [it] certainly wasn't where I wanted to be. That's at least the positive thing, that there's a little bit of a room that I feel I can improve quite a few weeks ahead of me. I need to be smart the way I'm practising now, not to overdo it again, but at the same time make sure I find my rhythm again, my game itself a little bit, the elements when I play. That requires quite a bit of work, but I'm certain I'm going to be able to do it and hopefully produce better tennis as the year progresses.”

The Bulgarian, with experience in turning losses into learning experiences, looked back in his post-match press conference to 12 months ago when he lost a monumental battle with Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. The season he had after that loss gives Dimitrov positivity that he can rise after disappointment in Melbourne once again this year.

“It's hard for me to admit that [positivity], but I have to,” said Dimitrov. I'm very critical with myself. I always want a lot from myself. When I don't reach a certain goal that I've planned, it really drops me down. It makes me sad.

“But those are the moments that I think I've learned [from] throughout the years, like last year after [the Australian Open] was tough after I lost the semi-final. But, again, I still had to lift myself up and go on, pick myself up, dust myself off.”

Looking forward to the rest of the season, Dimitrov is focused on moving forward and taking confidence from many hard-fought wins on tough days in both Brisbane and Melbourne.

“The good thing in tennis is there's always the next week," said Dimitrov. "You can play every week that you want. But as I said, it's just the way I've been playing throughout all the matches that was really something that I'm happy with, not on my best days being able to win and fight.

“ sad that it came into an end. But there's always that silver lining out there. I'm just going to try to make sure I see it a little bit more clearly right now."

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... 18-tuesday

[Barty]

[Barty]

Na dzisiejszej konferencji w Sofii Grigor ogłosił, że wątpliwe, aby wystąpił w Sofii i Rotterdami z powodu kontuzji ręki.

[Kiefer]

Następny...

[DUN I LOVE]

To chyba dobry znak akurat, że zaczyna wymiksowywać się z tych kurników i nastawia się na poważne turnieje.

[Kiefer]

Nie wiem, jak słyszę/czytam słowo "kontuzja" w kontekście jakiegoś czołowego gracza to nie dobrze mi się robi. Tego jest po prostu zbyt wiele.

[Damian]

Być może to na razie tylko chwilowe kłopoty, które po dość intensywnych ostatnich miesiącach mnie osobiście specjalnie nie dziwią.

Czekamy na dalsze jego decyzje, bo na tą chwilę jeszcze nigdzie oficjalnie się nie wycofał.

[Barty]

Być może to na razie tylko chwilowe kłopoty, które po dość intensywnych ostatnich miesiącach mnie osobiście specjalnie nie dziwią.

No ale właśnie, doszło do tego, że każdy kto pogra kilka miesięcy na dużej intensywności popada w problemy zdrowotne. To nie jest normalne, mówimy o zawodowcach, ludziach często w kwiecie wieku (Dimitrov, Raonic, Nishikori).

[Damian]

Być może to na razie tylko chwilowe kłopoty, które po dość intensywnych ostatnich miesiącach mnie osobiście specjalnie nie dziwią.

No ale właśnie, doszło do tego, że każdy kto pogra kilka miesięcy na dużej intensywności popada w problemy zdrowotne. To nie jest normalne, mówimy o zawodowcach, ludziach często w kwiecie wieku (Dimitrov, Raonic, Nishikori).

No niestety nie wygląda to optymistycznie.

[Damian]

Grigor o wycofaniu z Sofii:

[Lucas]

[Lucas]

The Sure Way Dimitrov Used To Climb The ATP Rankings

Spoiler:

You can draw a straight line between rising up the ATP rankings and improving your second-serve return.

The first serve is always an asset for players because of the raw power, but win percentages surrounding second serves can easily flip into the liability column, especially against a good returner.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the best returners from the 2017 season shows that the second-serve return can evolve into a bigger weapon than the second serve itself.


For example, Grigor Dimitrov won 48.2 per cent (1033/2142) of his second-serve return points in 2016 from 65 matches. Everything under 50 per cent sits in the liability column, and this was not an obvious strength of the Bulgarian’s game two seasons ago, when he finished No. 17 in the 2016 year-end ATP Rankings.

But fast forward to 2017 and Dimitrov surged all the way up to No. 3, winning 52 per cent (1092/2101) of second-serve return points from 68 matches. He was 34th best on tour in 2016 in this specific category, and he moved up to ninth best last season.

2017 Season: Top 10 Second-Serve Return Points Won

Ranking

Player

Second-Serve Return Win Percentage

Points Won

Total Points

1

Diego Schwartzman

56.13%

1213

2161

2

Rafael Nadal

55.63%

1289

2317

3

Roberto Bautista Agut

54.13%

1187

2193

4

Richard Gasquet

54.08%

776

1435

5

David Goffin

53.91%

1343

2491

6

Hyeon Chung

53.37%

697

1306

7

Pablo Carreno Busta

53.01%

994

1875

8

Fernando Verdasco

52.49%

897

1709

9

Grigor Dimitrov

51.98%

1092

2101

10

Lucas Pouille

51.56%

924

1792

Diego Schwartzman, the 25-year-old Argentine, finished first on tour in 2017 with second-serve points won, at just over 56 per cent. The only other player to be above 55 per cent was World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who won 55.6 per cent of his second-serve return points.

Roberto Bautista Agut and Richard Gasquet were both above 54 per cent, while David Goffin, Hyeon Chung and Pablo Carreno Busta were all north of 53 per cent.

Rounding out the Top 10 in this category were Fernando Verdasco, Dimitrov and Lucas Pouille. Overall, there were 24 players on tour that were able to generate a winning percentage returning second serves.

The ideal target with this specific shot is right down the middle of the court at the server. Big shots go to big targets, and aggression with second-serve returns is more about power, spin and depth, than direction hitting away from the server.

It’s a pretty clear lesson. Improve your second-serve return, and see your ranking improve.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... ruary-2018

[arti]

Dimitrov: "I Always Want To Do More"

Spoiler:

There is a spring in the step of Grigor Dimitrov as he walks along the corridors of the Rotterdam Ahoy. Nine years on from being awarded a wild card by Tournament Director Richard Krajicek into the 2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, much has changed for the amiable Bulgarian.

The target on Dimitrov’s chest has magnified since his first steps on the ATP World Tour in February 2009, when he beat Tomas Berdych before falling to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Last year’s runs to the Western & Southern Open trophy in Cincinnati, the emotion of winning the Nitto ATP Finals and a career-high year-end No. 3 finish in the ATP Rankings, fuelled the fire of what may be possible.
Dimitrov knows there are more goals to chase, 2017 is over. His love of the challenge, of testing and proving himself, of managing his own and fan expectations, has strengthened.

“I always want to do more,” said Dimitrov on Sunday. “I always expect more from myself, but that can also be dangerous. Regardless of how high your position in the ATP Rankings, you never lose your respect for the game. You must remember the process, what works and not take anything for granted.

“I’ve learned that over the years, you’re going to have ups and downs, but it’s important to maintain a certain level. You can see the younger players, younger than me, are hungry!
“The dot on your back becomes a little bigger, but that’s what I play tennis for: to compete, for the love of the game, to prove I can do better and sustain it on a daily basis. It really means something to me.”

This week, Dimitrov competes in an ATP World Tour 500 field that includes 2005 and 2012 champion Roger Federer, who, with a Rotterdam semi-final run would return to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, Alexander Zverev, last year’s runner-up David Goffin, 2015 titlist Stan Wawrinka and 2014 winner Tomas Berdych.

Unable to defend his title at last week’s Diema Xtra Sofia Open, due to a shoulder injury, Dimitrov is now focused on performing well in Rotterdam. “You want to compete against the top players, you want to challenge yourself,” the 26-year-old admitted. “That’s why I compete.

“My shoulder injury is holding up well [and] I am slowly beginning to serve a little bit faster. I have done the work in the gym. I never stop working. If I don’t practise every day, I go to the gym, or go for a hike. On my days off, I like to go to the gym, just get your body moving, in a routine, a rhythm.
“I have recently felt that my body is getting to maturity and holding up well to absorb the hard work. So I am very positive about the future, I am excited to play and to compete. I know [that] if I put in the work day after day, extra effort, the results will come. The ranking then becomes automatic."

With a 6-2 match record in 2018, including two battles against a hungry Nick Kyrgios, first a loss in the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp semi-finals, then, victory two weeks later in the Australian Open fourth round, Dimitrov has highlighted once again, how his off-season work with coach Dani Vallverdu, is laying the foundations for a strong season.

“I want to try to improve at tournaments I didn’t do well at in 2017. I want to do better at the Grand Slams. That’s the priority for any top player. Last year, I did a lot of good things on and off the court, being more consistent and playing well in the big matches, and also winning close matches.
“When you put all that together, good things can happen. I surprised myself a little bit too about my year (2017), but physically I did feel I was in a position to compete well.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... 018-sunday

[Barty]

[Lleyton]