Grigor Dimitrov defeated Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the Miami Open 2024 and will play the final on Sunday against Jannik Sinner. Dimitrov beat Zverev 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 in a thrilling match. Dimitrov, who has moved up to No.9 in the men’s singles ATP rankings, has called Sinner the best player in the world currently. He had no qualms about hailing his upcoming opponent and this is what he exactly said in an interview with Tennis Channel –
The reporter asked, “Jannik Sinner; In about 48 hours you’ll take him on for this Miami Open title. Last time you guys played quarter-final in Beijing, tough, high quality 3 set match. How will you, how will you reverse the result here?”
Dimitrov replied, “Clearly he is the best player right now, in my opinion. He’s been, he’s been playing outstanding tennis, absolutely outstanding tennis. How he’s been able to keep it actually throughout every single week. It’s pleasure for me to watch. And now I have to compete against him, which is even better occasion for me. I like, I like these matches, I wanna test myself, and it’s the final. I think, again, it’s one of those matches where I need to focus again on my side of the net. Clearly he’s shown what he is capable of doing. So am I. I think it can easily be a, I think, again a very interesting match. I don’t wanna overthink or think whatever’s gonna happen. But all I know is I’m gonna get out there and give everything I have.”
Dimitrov’s long and honest response to Sinner and his thoughts on the outcome of the final was proof of what a great gentleman he is. Unlike many other opponents, he didn’t feel the need to say anything trash about his upcoming opponent. Instead, he hailed him as the ‘best player in the world currently’ and not Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz.
This speaks volumes about his sportsmanship spirit. Also, it might not be a false statement. Jannik Sinner might be the ‘best player in the world’ right now, with only Carlos Alcaraz fighting with him for that spot.
Before beating Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in the quarter-final. That was a huge win, especially given that Alcaraz was coming on the back of his Indian Wells title victory. The only other player who has been hot on Sinner’s and Alcaraz’s heels is Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev won the Miami Open last year, but Sinner made sure his journey was over this year at the semi-finals. The Italian beat him 6-1, 6-2.
While Sinner, Alcaraz, and Medvedev are the ones sharing the top spots in tennis currently, another player, Novak Djokovic seems to have completely fallen off the rails. The World No.1 has had an average start to the 2024 season by losing in the Australian Open semifinals and the third round of the Indian Wells tournament before withdrawing from the Miami Open. Now, news about his split from long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic is dominating the headlines.
Daniil Medvedev was the player who defeated Grigor Dimitrov in the Indian Wells Round of 16 encounter a few weeks back. Medvedev won 6-4, 6-4. With him out of the way, Dimitrov will relax a bit. Although Jannik Sinner is an equally, if not more, worthy opponent, who could easily beat Dimitrov.
Grigor Dimitrov vs Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Miami Open final
Grigor Dimitrov and Jannik Sinner have played each other three times in the past before. Sinner takes the lead there with 2-1 over Dimitrov. They first met at the 2020 Italian Open, where Dimitrov won the Round of 16 clash against Sinner by 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. They next met at the 2023 Miami Open, when Sinner beat Dimitrov 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 32 clash. The third time they met was at the 2023 Beijing Open, where Sinner won again. He beat Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Will Dimitrov be able to level their head-to-head this time?
Jannik Sinner is still the fan favorite and the most likely to win the match against Dimitrov. The World No.3 player still holds the edge over Dimitrov. After losing out to Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals, he bounced back very quickly. Dimitrov also hasn’t won any ATP 1000 Masters titles since the Cincinnati Masters in 2017. This long-time drought might put pressure on Dimitrov and give Sinner a psychological advantage as well.
