Grigor Dimitrov is the man of the moment. The 32-year-old Bulgarian is on Cloud 9 after beating the top-seeded Holger Rune in the final match of the Brisbane International 2024 tournament. With this win, Dimitrov has now won 9 ATP men’s singles career titles.
Even before his debut, Dimitrov was considered to be a young prodigy who would go on to become an all-time legend of the men’s sport. Considering his style of play too, he was even given the nickname ‘Baby Fed’ after Swiss superstar, Roger Federer.
Although he has struggled to win a Grand Slam title, Grigor Dimitrov’s consistency and persistence have paid off. His fitness has made him the men’s singles player with the longest-ever active streak of Grand Slam appearances at 51. Here are the Bulgarian’s top 5 career victories –
Grigor Dimitrov was the 2008 Junior Wimbledon Championship winner
Dimitrov had his first moment in the sun at the age of 17, defeating Henri Kontinen of Finland in the final. Remarkably, he won the title with an injured shoulder, which showed the tennis world with his potential. This earned him his wildcard entry into the 2009 Wimbledon.
Dimitrov’s 2013 Stockholm Open win
Grigor Dimitrov beat Spanish veteran, David Ferrer in the final 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win his first ATP Tour title. It was a stamp of authority from Dimitrov’s end. It made him the first Bulgarian tennis player in the Open Era to win such a title and rose to his then-best men’s singles ranking of 22.
How Grigor Dimitrov took Mexico by storm at 2014 Acapulco Open
Grigor Dimitrov beat South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) in this hard-fought win. Dimitrov was having a good few months in that period, which made him climb to the World No.16 ranking. It was his first ATP 500 title.
The Bulgarian also beat Andy Murray in the semifinals on his way to the title win. He won $316,400 in prize money.
Dimitrov’s fine 2017 Cincinnati Masters campaign
Dimitrov had mastered playing on hard courts by then. The 2017 Cincinnati Masters title was another demonstration of that. He beat Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5 to clinch the title. It was his first ATP 1000 Masters title and he won $954,225 in prize money.
Grigor Dimitrov made it big at 2017 ATP Finals, London
This was the last of the ATP Titles won by Dimitrov before his recent win in Brisbane. He beat David Goffin in the final match, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 margin to win the title. Goffin was high on heels, having beaten Federer in the semifinals, but lost to an in-form Dimitrov.
Grigor Dimitrov – A classic case of so close and yet so far
While Dimitrov is basking in his victory over Rune, one begs the question about his achievements in his career. His nickname ‘Baby Fed’ was borne out of the striking similarities in the style of play he had with the Swiss legend. Both had a one-handed backhand and an airborne forehand that the people couldn’t stop raving about. However, he hasn’t quite lived up to the nickname that was given to him and he himself did not like the comparisons.
Dimitrov has been playing this sport for more than 15 years now and hasn’t won any of the Grand Slams, despite coming very close a couple of times. Besides his 9 titles won, Dimitrov has reached the semifinals of Grand Slams thrice, i.e. at Wimbledon 2014 Wimbledon, 2017 Australian Open and the 2019 US Open.
It would be unfair to blame this aberration completely on Dimitrov’s individual performance because this was also the period the Big 3 in tennis i.e. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic were in their prime. Most titles were shared among them.
At Wimbledon 2014, Dimitrov ran into Djokovic, the eventual champion, and lost 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (9-7). At the 2017 Australian Open, Federer made a massive comeback in his career, beating Nadal in the final. Dimitrov lost to Nadal in the semis, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (7-4), 6-4. It was a tough fight he put up against the Spaniard, but it wasn’t enough.
The 2019 US Open looked like it could be Dimitrov’s year after a long time, but owing to a certain top-seeded Russian, it wasn’t to be. Dimitrov lost to Daniil Medvedev, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3.
In the Big 3 Era, it wasn’t been easy for other tennis players to win a Grand Slam. However, Swiss player Stan Wawrinka won three Grand Slams in that era – the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, and the 2016 US Open, beating Nadal and Djokovic (twice) respectively. Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic in the 2012 US Open final and the 2013 Wimbledon final. The US Open has had some varied winners like Dominic Thiem (2020), Marin Cilic (2014), etc.
All of these players have fared considerably better than Dimitrov with several titles in their kitty. Murray leads the pack among them with 46 ATP titles. However, with this comeback win of Dimitrov, he might just continue his winning streak from here onwards.
