Grigor Dimitrov

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[Art]

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[Damian]

[Damian]

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ATP Miami 24: 10. półfinał M-1000.

[11] Grigor Dimitrov d. [1] Carlos Alcaraz 62 64

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Art]

[Damian]

Less practice & fewer videos! Dimitrov’s secret in Miami

Spoiler:

Bulgarian will meet Zverev in Friday’s semi-finals after upsetting Alcaraz
March 29, 2024
Grigor Dimitrov in action against Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday in Miami.Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Grigor Dimitrov in action against Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday in Miami.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff
Grigor Dimitrov set out on the path to victory in his quarter-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz at the Miami Open presented by Itau the day before the match even started — by searching for the video of their last encounter.

“I was about to press play, and I stopped,” explained the Bulgarian.

Less planning certainly reaped its rewards; on Thursday he defeated the Spaniard in straight sets to progress to the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.


Dimitrov could have given in to the temptation of watching what he did six months ago in Shanghai to defeat Alcaraz, the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Instead, he decided to relax and trust his instincts once he set foot on court at Hard Rock Stadium.

“I told myself there was no need to watch it because every match is very different. The courts are different, as is the weather,” said the World No. 12. “I just wanted to go out on court with a clean slate and start to build from the first point, but without simply putting the ball in play and seeing what he was going to do.

“I tried to hurt him every time I had the chance, and that simplicity allowed me to grow as the match advanced.”

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The 32-year-old Dimitrov has given his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz a new look. Having lost his first three ties with the Murcia native — all in straight sets — he has now taken the last two matches in their rivalry.

Furthermore, his win on Thursday only required one hour and 32 minutes on court. Nobody else has taken Alcaraz down that quickly in 2024 (in completed matches). The defeat was the Spaniard’s second fastest at a Masters 1000, with only his 2021 loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid (one hour, 17 minutes) clocking up fewer minutes. So impressive was the Bulgarian’s performance that Alcaraz later told the press he was made to feel “as if I were 13 years old”.

So, did Dimitrov have any other tricks up his sleeve that allowed him to produce such a feat? Yes — he practised less than at other tournaments.

“I barely trained in the last two or three days because the conditions are very different during the day. Sometimes this tournament has been kind to me, others it has not. My relationship with this event has been very interesting,” said the Bulgarian, who had never progressed past the fourth round in Miami before this year.

“You always try to focus on what works. Now I’m trying something different, and now I feel like ‘OK; I’m finally doing something well’, and I’m sticking with it, while still being as professional as possible. After playing for many years, you learn a few things.”

You May Also Like: Alcaraz: Dimitrov 'made me feel like I'm 13 years old'
Despite his achievement, Dimitrov had little time to celebrate. No sooner had he notched up his 19th win against a Top 5 opponent than he was thinking about how to get a 20th in Friday's semi-final clash with World No. 5 Alexander Zverev.

“To be honest, I’ve already changed my mentality and I’m thinking about tomorrow’s match,” explained Dimitrov on Thursday night. “I’ll try to keep sharp because you have limited time to celebrate. It’s important to stay in the moment. That’s the great thing about our sport.”

Dimitrov trails Zverev 1-7 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and has not beaten him since 2014 in Basel. One thing that is certain is that he won’t be watching any of his previous encounters with the German to see what he needs to change or keep the same. Resisting the play button has served the Bulgarian well so far.

“Today I did everything as simply as possible,” he said. “I hope to do the same tomorrow.”

Editor’s note: This story has been translated from ATPTour.com/es

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/dimitro ... y-reaction

[Damian]

[DUN I LOVE]

@Barty, @Kamileki, skompletował Grigor ćwiartki w każdym z obecnie rozgrywanych mastersów. Miami było piętą achillesową do tego roku.

O ,ciekawe.

Teraz to już ma połówki w 8/9 mastersów. Brakuje tylko SF w Madrycie.

[Kamileki]

@Barty, @Kamileki, skompletował Grigor ćwiartki w każdym z obecnie rozgrywanych mastersów. Miami było piętą achillesową do tego roku.

O ,ciekawe.

Teraz to już ma połówki w 8/9 mastersów. Brakuje tylko SF w Madrycie.

Czyli dokładnie to samo co u Daniiła. 12/14 dużych turniejów ze zrobionymi połówkami i tylko Madrytu oraz RG brakuje. Nie jest tak regularny Grisza, ale na przestrzeni całej kariery trochę fajnych rezultatów się uzbierało.

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Dimitrov sets Sinner showdown, earns Top 10 return

Spoiler:

Bulgarian will face Sinner in Sunday's title match
March 30, 2024

Grigor Dimitrov snaps a seven-match Lexus ATP Head2Head losing streak against Alexander Zverev.
By ATP Staff
Grigor Dimitrov followed his ruthless upset of Carlos Alcaraz with another brilliant display to beat Alexander Zverev on Friday at the Miami Open presented by Itau. With his 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 victory, the Bulgarian advanced to his third ATP Masters 1000 and his first in Miami.

The result also moved Dimitrov up to No. 9 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, securing his return to the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since November 2018. The gap of 260 weeks between his Top 10 standings is the third-longest in ths history of the rankings.

"I fight my own battles right now. I run my own race," Dimitrov said of his growth in that time. "I think all that comes with all the work that we have put in as a team. I'm on a very different path in my life, in my career. There's a lot that was done, a lot of work, a lot of everything behind it. I kept on believing, I kept on thriving, I kept on having faith in myself... This is just the cherry on the cake."


Dimitrov earned his 20th Top 5 win by wrestling control away from a surging Zverev, who was bidding for his 11th ATP Masters 1000 final. The German remains in search of his first final at that level since Madrid in 2022, with his most recent hard-court Masters 1000 final coming in Cincinnati in 2021.

"It was like a dogfight on both ends," said Dimitrov. "I think we really went at each other, especially after that first set, I felt like he upped his game a little bit and he was very, very strong throughout the whole second set and even in the tie-break. He was constantly putting a lot of pressure on me.

"And then in the third set, he had one [break] chance. I served good and then I stayed and I kept on going after my shots. I think in the end, I played with a little bit more authority and was moving the ball very well."

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Dimitrov converted on both of his break points to earn the victory, snapping a seven-match losing streak in his Lexus ATP Head2Head against Zverev. Now 2-7 in the series, the Bulgarian's lone previous victory came in their first meeting, in Basel in 2014.

A high-quality opening set ended when the 32-year-old won four straight points to break from 30/0 with the help of a brilliant shoestring volley and three untimely Zverev errors.

The German regrouped in set two with a near-flawless serving performance. He did not miss a first serve until deep in the second and made 82 per cent (32/39) of his first serves in the set, according to Infosys ATP Stats. That freed him up to swing out in the rallies, and he never trailed in the tie-break, which he closed out from 4/1 up.

Dimitrov, who saved a break point at 2-2 in the first set, again had his back to the wall down a break point at 1-2 in the third. But he kept his cool once more, working the corners with crisp ball-striking to stay level in the set. That escape seemed to shift the match back in his favour. Soon after, a brilliant volley winner — in which he fell to the floor as he contorted his body to react to a net cord — sealed his second break of the match for what proved to be a decisive 4-3 lead in the decider.

"I was not letting any ball pass through then," Dimitrov said of the moment of magic. "I kind of know that he's so good off that wing, so I was kind of waiting both sides. I just thought, OK, I'm seeing the ball, I'm going to try to scramble for it, and that's what happened."

Having previously fallen one match short of a return to the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings, admitting nerves spoiled his effort in the Indian Wells fourth round against Daniil Medvedev, Dimitrov stood tall to serve out the match with two love holds on this occasion.

His victory set up another clash against a Top 5 opponent: Jannik Sinner awaits in Sunday's final after his 6-1, 6-2 result against Medvedev earlier on Friday. The Italian leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head 2-1, with wins in Miami and Beijing last season.

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