The second half of 2015 has been a difficult experience for Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian has slid down the rankings from 11th to 19th since June and hasn’t beaten a top 20 player since the Madrid Open in May. This week at the Malaysian Open he lost in the quarterfinals to German world No.74 Benjamin Becker.
Dimitrov recently talked about his season, during a candid interview with wearetennis.com. The 24-year-old admitted that this season has been hard for him. He also confessed that one of the biggest issues for him is that he is lacking confidence in his shot-making during matches.
“Obviously, I have had a hard season. I have difficulties to find my game”. Dimitrov told wearetennis.com.
“I’m not completely confident with my shots, but I am not ashamed to admit this and work on the problem. By the end of the year I will try to show the best of what I am capable of. The most important thing is to feel healthy and finish the season with a positive feeling. With the right setup and the necessary efforts, I believe that I can achieve very good results in the remaining months”. He added.
With no titles in 2015, this season has been a stark contrast to last year for Dimitrov. In 2014 he claimed three ATP titles, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and achieve a career ranking high of 8th in the world. 2014 has been labelled as a ‘breakthrough year’ for Dimitrov, however, the Bulgarian has dismissed that label.
“I would not call it “my big breakthrough.” Yes, my results improved, but that came as a result of my previous seasons in the professional tour and the experience gained. Of course, at that time I had people around me who helped me get to the next level”. He said.
Dimitrov has started working with Franco Davin this week, the former coach of Juan Martin Del Potro. The partnership is currently on a trial basis. The next tournament for the world No.19 will be the Rakuten Japan Open, which begins tomorrow. In the first round, he will play Benoit Paire of France.
In the lead up to his first round match. Dimitrov gave a brief on court interview with Japanese media following an on court workout session.
