Grigor Dimitrov admits he is taking his latest comeback nice and slow after making a successful return to competitive action.
His 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory over Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard marked his first completed match since his dramatic fourth round exit against eventual champion Jannik Sinner where he was forced to retire with a pectoral injury even though he was two-sets-to-love ahead.
“I’m just going one day at a time right now,” said Dimitrov. “There’s no point for me to set any goals right now. My goal is still next year to come back and make sure that I play the whole season properly and stay healthy. That’s actually my goal right now. So, any given day that I’m out there on the court, whether it’s practice or a match, being able to go through it, that’s a success already.”
Post-match, the Bulgarian opened up about his enforced lengthy lay-off after his Wimbledon retirement, and the extended rehab that followed.
“Oh, there’s so much, so much that happened,” described Dimitrov. “Firstly, I had a great summer, at least, a wonderful time. I was able to do anything I wanted to do and had some rest as I wasn’t playing. But the rehab was not easy, especially after our first month – it was the time where I really had to put a lot of work in. Mentally, I felt really great for some reason. I was kind of waiting to just dip a little bit, and the more challenging part was, I would say, two weeks before my return because I was building my own expectations, and you feel good to play, but you don’t know how anything will play out. Then I started feeling a little bit of excitement, but throughout the whole time, it was just very straightforward, and I was practising exactly the amount that I had to.”
The first set in this evening’s match was over an hour long, and provided the former world number three with plenty of time and opportunity to get his groove and timing back as he faced rockets of over 240km/h from the other side. However, he was more pleased with the fact that he was able to schedule his practice immediately before his match – that too with Italian Sinner.
“What I think I did very good, is just the timing before the match,” explained Dimitrov. “I hit just right before the match; I didn’t want to give myself more time to stop in between and it was just better for my body. Of course, after playing a match like that, it’s always very difficult, especially after that first set. The energy really had to drop and I was kind of waiting for that. I wasn’t sure when it was going to happen, but I was really happy that I was able to sustain it. I think that was very good for me. I was very happy with that particular part of the match today.”
Facing his huge-serving opponent, he urged himself to be ready right from the first moment and get as many returns back in play: “Against servers like that, you always have to be on whatever you’re doing. You just have to be on the return, and if you can read the sort of the serve, then you’re fine. But he was serving pretty big – like one was 245km/h and that’s impressive, actually! But I don’t mind it, honestly, given all the circumstances, I’m very pleased with the match.”
Dimitrov is also looking for a new coaching team as he looks to organise a more structured return up the rankings for the start of the 2026 season. “This period is also a very good test for me, especially for next year. I have to reshuffle literally everything from the way I’m preparing to the team, to the tournaments I play. So, it’s a definitely a new beginning.”
Dimitrov said that the conditions at the new La Defense Arena were similar to the old venue in Bercy: “they’re not far off from before – the speed of the court is kind of the same. Obviously, the balls are a little bit different. But it’s also new conditions here as you can hear the noise from court one and two. So that is a little bit of an issue, for some players.”
He is also relishing the prospect of playing former world number one Daniil Medvedev in the next round, presuming the Russian can get past Spaniard Juame Munar. “I would love to play Daniil. This is the type of match that I want to play coming back. Even today was definitely not an easy first match after three months, but I was able to do what I had to do.”
Finally, Dimitrov had some kind words for doubles partner French veteran Nicolas Mahut – winner of five Grand Slam doubles titles and who has held the top spot for 39 weeks in his illustrious career – where they take on Hugo Nys and Eduoard Roger-Vasselin tomorrow.
“We go a long way back and we’ve known each other for a tremendous amount of time. We played so many times against each other, quite a few finals. For me honestly, it’s just an emotional moment to play with him in the last tournament and at home. I love playing doubles and I just love playing doubles with him. We have a similar game, so that also helps me a lot to be freer on the court. He’s thrilled. I know that. He was already texting me! It creates a great atmosphere, and I just really hope that I’m in full shape tomorrow for him, so I can perform.”
“He always plays well. Even when he retires, I’m not worried about his game at all, especially now he’s playing on a half court, he’s even more dangerous. He’s a great guy. He cares a lot. He loves the sport. It’s admirable, and it’s been a great career for him, and now I think just on to the next chapter.”
