Grigor Dimitrov

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Lucas]

AFTER STRONG START, DIMITROV EYES LONDON DEBUT

Spoiler:

If Grigor Dimitrov keeps up his impressive start to 2017, the Bulgarian will have a career first as a reward come 12-19 November: a debut appearance at the ATP Finals in London.


The 25 year old has been nearly perfect so far this season, accumulating a 16-2 record. To start the year, Dimitrov won the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, beating three Top 10 players en route to his first title since The Queen's Club in 2014. Dimitrov knocked out Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals, top seed Milos Raonic in the last four and Kei Nishikori in the final.

Three weeks later, the 6'3” right-hander broke through at the Australian Open, reaching the semi-finals at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2014 Wimbledon. In the last four, Dimitrov fell to finalist Rafael Nadal 6-4 in the fifth set during one of the tournament's best matches.



In February, Dimitrov continued his dominance, winning four consecutive matches in his home country to take his second ATP World Tour title of the season at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open.

“This is my most prestigious title for sure, winning it at home is a tremendous success for me,” he said. “I will treasure this title for the rest of my life, it’s something amazing for me.”

A debut at The O2 in London might be even more spectacular for Dimitrov, who sits at No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Race To London. Roger Federer leads the race, with Nadal at No. 2.

http://www.atpfinals.com/en/news-and-me ... march-2017

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Lucas]

[Joao]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMR543Z64Ak&t=161s[/youtube]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Dimitrov ends run of early Roland-Garros defeats

Spoiler:

Grigor Dimitrov, No.11 seed, eased past Frenchman Stephane Robert in straight sets to reach the second round at Roland-Garros for the first time since 2013.

There was little doubt that at the age of 37, Stéphane Robert would walk on to Philippe-Chatrier Court in front of the home crowd on the first day of Roland-Garros 2017 ready to give it a go. No matter that he was up against Grigor Dimitrov, the No.11 seed who is perennially trumpeted as being on the cusp of fulfilling his prodigious talent - and whose last Grand Slam appearance was as the dignified loser in an epic five-setter against Rafael Nadal in their Australian Open semi-final.

image: http://aka-cdn-ns.adtech.de/apps/24/Ad1 ... 60x300.jpg

image: http://aka-cdn-ns.adtech.de/apps/24/Ad1 ... 60x300.jpg

The gregarious Robert, ranked No.113 in the world, likes to describe his style as “casino tennis” – “hitting crazy shots, gambling with big shots and closing my eyes just hoping the ball will go in.” With that approach, the Frenchman had nothing to lose.

Alas, for the right-hander from the Loiret departement in north-central France, he needed a more rigorous game plan to counter the Bulgarian who seemed determined to end his dismal run of first-round defeats at Roland-Garros and did so emphatically in straight sets: 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

The bearded Robert arrived on court in his lucky white cap, dark underwear visible beneath white shorts, and a baggy, beach-vibe T-shirt in tune with his happy-go-lucky stance as a backpacking player who uses his tennis talent to travel the world. Dimitrov, in contrast - oblivious to the 32-degrees Celcius temperature and high humidity - walked out in a long-sleeved black jacket as cool as a cornichon.

image: http://rgmedia.edgesuite.net/2017/thumb ... 70x480.jpg

image: http://rgmedia.edgesuite.net/2017/thumb ... 70x480.jpg
R1 Highlights: Dimitrov v Robert

Having won just two of his six matches on clay this year, the 26-year-old from Haskovo was on a mission and, as sure as the trademark winning backhands he directed down the line, he won the first set swiftly, taking advantage of each break point. Throughout the match Dimitrov struggled more with the accuracy of his first serve than anything his opponent shot back at him.

With the No.11 seed in control, the crowd clapped, whistled and erupted with sporadic calls of “Allez Stéphane” to hearten the man caught in a barrage of all-court prowess. Clay can be a great leveler, but not today. It may be Robert’s favoured surface - as a qualifier here in 2011, he beat sixth seed Tomas Berdych in five sets in the first round - and Dimitrov may have suffered a hat-trick of first-hurdle falls here, but there is a reason Dimitrov is hovering outside the world's top 10 and it was spelt out to Robert and his home support today.

Having fallen once to a local favourite in the first round here (Jérémy Chardy in 2011) and with a humble third-round appearance standing as his best result at Roland-Garros, Dimitrov was clearly determined to remain on track to meet Milos Raonic in the fourth round. Next up, though, he meets either Tommy Robredo, the Spaniard who has a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over him, including two win on clay, or Great Britain's Dan Evans.

But one match at a time. "The last time I won a match here was a couple of years ago so I am pretty pleased to come out here in front of you guys and play on centre court," he said after hugging Robert at the net. "It's a beautiful Sunday. I know what it is to play at home and be a favourite. It was a good test. I have known Stephane for good few years, we are friends, we have practiced together.

"I was just focused on winning the match.”

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/ ... =rgstories

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Grigor łapie formę przez USO Series.

Spoiler:

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

Zagraj coś w końcu.

[Barty]

One Year Has Changed Everything For Dimitrov

Spoiler:

Bulgarian enters Cincinnati in a much different place


Grigor Dimitrov had hit bottom.
He had lost six of his past seven opening matches. The former World No. 8 and Wimbledon semi-finalist had slipped all the way to No. 40 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, his steepest decline in more than three years.
But 13 months later, Dimitrov finds himself on an entirely different plateau. The Bulgarian is No. 11 this week after a brief return to the Top 10 last month. He arrives at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati keen on climbing even farther.
“I'm in a great spot. I think I've learned a lot from it, and I think at the same time, it's just something to remember. I don't want to forget things like that because those are the things that actually push me to play better and to be even stronger in the tough moments, and things like that are paying off in the long term,” Dimitrov exclusively told ATPWorldTour.com.
The 26 year old has had one of his best seasons in years. After a fruitful off-season with coach Daniel Vallverdu, Dimitrov began 2017 in Top 5 form. Down Under, he beat three Top 10 players – Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori – en route to winning a stacked Brisbane International presented by Suncorp.

Dimitrov followed that with his second Grand Slam semi-final run at the Australian Open before falling to Rafael Nadal. After a home title in February at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open in Bulgaria, Dimitrov had started the season 14-1.
“I just had a great off-season. I think I worked a lot... I think I had a good mindset, good positivity, coming out to play, and everything else was pretty much in the background for me,” Dimitrov said.
He struggled to get going on the clay, but on the grass, Dimitrov made the semi-finals at The Queen's Club for the third time and the fourth round at Wimbledon (l. to eventual champion Federer).
He's glad to be returning to hard courts now during the North American swing. This season, Dimitrov has won 76 per cent of his hard-court matches, compard to 67 per cent on grass, and 44 per cent on clay.

“I always like to play on the hard courts. I've obviously had very good results on it. But again, I still need to face very tough opponents every round and I just need to be ready... I need to stay grounded, I need to stay humble and keep playing the game, give 100 per cent from myself every day, and let the rest happen,” he said.
Dimitrov, who's making his sixth appearance in Cincinnati, is coming off his best showing at the Masters 1000 event. He reached the semi-finals last year before falling 7-5 in the third to eventual champion Marin Cilic. Dimitrov opens against Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, who beat Korean Hyeon Chung 7-6(5), 6-1.
“It's going to take a lot out of me to win every match so I need to keep that momentum, that positivity,” Dimitrov said. “Every time you can use anything in your favour, you should just take it and keep it through the tournament.”

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/dim ... 17-preview

[Damian]

[Barty]