Grigor Dimitrov has praised the support he has received from his team during what has been a milestone season.
Heading into the final Masters event of the season, the 26-year-old is at a ranking best of eighth in the ATP Emirates rankings. This year Dimitrov has featured in four ATP finals, winning three titles. His biggest achievement occurred in August when he won his first Masters 1000 trophy in Cincinnati. Disposing of Nick Kyrgios in straight sets. In the grand slam tournaments, Dimitrov posted a win-loss of 11-4. His second best performance after 2014.
“The season so far has been the best one without a doubt. Being able to play a consistent level throughout the whole year and winning big tournaments so skipping a few tournaments has kind of let me keep a bit more fresh and excited about the tournaments I’m playing in,” Dimitrov told Sky Sports.
As a result of his form, Dimitrov has created history for Bulgarian tennis by becoming the first player from his country to qualify for the ATP Finals. He is one of six players to have already qualified for the season-ending tournament prior to the start of the Paris Masters.
The success isn’t just the work of one person, according to Dimitrov. He has also credited the support he has received from his team for helping him turn his game around. Last year the former Wimbledon semifinalist dropped down to as low as 40th in the world.
“I think at the end of the day the results are showing. It’s the greatest reward to being in London – not only for me, but also my team.” He explained.
“I’ve played so well over the past three or four weeks and although I’ve had a few tough losses I’ve kept believing that I’m going to do it before the last few matches.”
One instrumental figure in Dimitrov’s rise is coach Daniel Vallverdu. A former Venezuelan Davis Cup players who have previously mentored Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych. The two joined forces last year. Since then, Dimitrov has played in five finals on the tour.
“It’s great to see everybody that has believed in me for so long. Even Dani coming on board nearly a year ago, my fitness guy, my physios. Everybody has been a tremendous asset to my team and they all deserve a lot of credit for that.” He said.
“Winning a few extra matches when you’re not playing well is one of the biggest differences that sort of brought me into that top 10 again – being able to win on your worst days. We’ve done a great job with this.”
Dimitrov has also paid tribute to the person who introduced him to tennis – his father Dimitar. He grew up in a sporting family. Dimitar was a tennis coach and his mother, Maria, was a teacher and volleyball player.
“My dad, who taught me how to play tennis, this guy deserves all the credit. I owe a pretty huge chunk of that to him.”
Seeded sixth in this week’s Paris Masters, Dimitrov will start his campaign against Richard Gasquet later today. A player who he trails 2-5 in their head-to-head.
