Bulgarian youngster, Grigor Dimitrov, has long been labelled as the next big superstar in men's tennis. The obvious resemblance in style with Roger Federer brought him the nickname "Baby Fed," as everyone was/is expecting him to follow in the all-time great's footsteps. Dimitrov was pretty vocal when it came to dismissing the prophecy though, showing clear signs that he does not want to live in someone else's shadow.
Grigor's biggest problem so far is that he did not quite confirm the huge expectations that people have from him. This year there have been some instances when his talent shone through, but he is yet to have that big breakthrough moment. At the beginning of the season, he lost his first ATP final to Andy Murray in Brisbane, and in May he stunned world No.1, Novak Djokovic, in a mouth-watering clash in Madrid. Nevertheless, he was lacking his maiden crown to consolidate the great progress. The wait ended last week when Dimitrov completed a dream run in Sweden. Days after terminating his collaboration with Magnus Norman's tennis academy, the Bulgarian delivered the goods to win the If Stockholm Open.
The Bulgarian started the week strongly, being unbothered en route to the semifinals. In his next clash with Benoit Paire, he was forced to come back from the loss of the first set to defeat the Frenchman 4-6,6-2,6-2. In the final, Grigor once again produced a sensational comeback, recovering from a poor opening act to stun world No.3 and this year's Roland Garros runner-up, David Ferrer. It was a hard fought triumph, but Dimitrov proved he has the mental strength to win big matches like this one. "It's one of my biggest wins," said the ecstatic Bulgarian. "To beat a top guy in a final. It's a great feeling and it's good for your mental state. You know you can hang with these guys and the next time you play against them, especially in the Grand Slams, you will be better prepared."
The title might have come a bit later than expected, but continuing the comparison with Federer, he too was pretty slow off the block. It took the Swiss quite a while to record his first big win, so this success might mark the beginning of a long series of great achievements for Grigor. I believe in him and in his talent, so hopefully he can keep up the good work, relinquish the huge pressure, work on his game, and come back stronger next season.
The Bulgarian is going through a flourish period off court too, as his relationship with Russian Maria Sharapova is developing quite nicely, the two being rumored to be engaged.
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| Talented Grigor collected his maiden ATP title by stunning world No.3, David Ferrer, in a very entertaining Stockholm final. |
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| Just when the pressure was starting to build up, and everyone was waiting on him to confirm his huge potential, young Bulgarian slammed the critics by crowning himself champion in Stockholm. |
photos: GETTY IMAGES
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