Conquered the Brisbane ATP
Grigor Dimitrov confirms his rebirth with the title at the ATP in Brisbane, after many years in the shadow of Roger Federer
Dimitrov had not won an ATP title for six years, since winning the ATP Finals in November 2017.
Nacho Atanes
@nacho_atanes
Sports editor and youth player for OKDIARIO. Since 2016 covering tennis information. He also has basketball, football, cycling and other content.
Con Rafael Nadal eliminated and taking over the tennis news due to the injury that will prevent him from participating in the Open the Australiathe media focus moved away from the tournament ATP de Brisbane, without paying too much attention to what happened after the quarterfinals. However, in the Australian competition a special scenario was drawn, in the form of confirmation of the rebirth of a figure who was aiming to become a superstar of world tennis but who was not until he was stripped of all attributes that related him to other older players. . We talk about Grigor Dimitrov.
At 32 years old, Grigor Dimitrov rose in Brisbane the ninth title of his career, in a record that had been slowed since he won his greatest achievement, the ATP Finals, in 2017, and at the same time with the best ATP ranking of his career, 3rd. At that time, we were talking about an emerging tennis player, still young, who was sailing under the label of successor to Roger Federera tennis player whom he resembled in form and background, but who he never liked to be a shadow of.
More than six years later, Dimitrov managed to break into Brisbane a drought of titles that was not in line with his talent, but with doubts about his mental strength, which had brought him more critics than followers and an irregularity that he could not get rid of until a few months ago. Grigor He had always been a slave to his comparison with Federersomething that ended up denting him to the point of limiting him on the track, but the truth is that the simile had its foundation.
Since it exploded as a promise for the future in the circuito ATPin 2011 – the first to finish in the top-100 –, Dimitrov was gaining prominence even above its results, thanks to the undoubted kinship with Roger Federer on the tennis court. At a time when the Swiss tennis player was already considered the best tennis player of all time, a young man appeared, Grigorwho played almost like a legend.
The forehand and, above all, the backhand, were performed with a gesture equal to that of Federer, while his movements on the court were also reminiscent of Roger. To complete the pack, Nike y Wilsonthe brands that dressed the number one, were the ones that sponsored Dimitrovbaptized ‘Baby Federer’, a nickname that went from launching him to media stardom to not liking it one bit, as he demonstrated in Roland Garros 2019when he reprimanded a member of the public by uttering his nickname.
The impact of Federer on the circuit was minimized over the years and Dimitrov, contrary to what was expected, did not take the necessary leap to fight with the best in the world. It was no longer a promise, but a reality that did not meet expectations, despite the semifinals in Wimbledon (2014), Open de Australia (2017) y US Open (2019) or the master’s title achieved at the ATP Finals. The successor of Roger Federer who also stood out on an extra-sports level for a courtship with Maria Sharapovahe stayed in the forms, but the truth is that Grigor always wanted to get rid of that sambenito.
The explosion of the new Dimitrov
Without Federer on the circuit, Grigor Dimitrov He opted for a change in search of his own essence. The game of him, reached the 30 years, had to change, since his physique was never his strong suit and it would become less and less so. The offense and talent of a player from another era had to flourish to once again provide the necessary confidence to a tennis player who also changed his lookwith a headband or cap and a somewhat unkempt beard, to complete the mutation.
The results did not arrive immediately, but its second half of 2023 began to reward these changes. Dimitrov He had managed to be, once again, one of the most fun players to watch on the circuit, but now he also added maximum competitiveness to the equation. He could see it first hand. Carlos Alcarazwhom he surpassed with a great game in the Masters 1000 in Shanghaiin which he reached the semifinals, or also Daniil Medvedev, whom he would beat in a Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 which would elevate him for the second time in his career – he won Cincinnati 2017 – to the title of finalist in a tournament of that category.
Dimitrov then lost with Novak Djokovicin a tough final for him, which nevertheless gave him the necessary dose to see that he was closer than ever to winning a title again. Grigor did not want to wait too long in 2024 and in Brisbaneafter beating the executioner of Rafael Nadal, Jordan Thompsonand in the final to a present and future value as Holger Runewould achieve the first title of his career since 2017, in addition to the confirmation of his return among the best tennis players in the world, just before the arrival of his favorite Grand Slam, the Open the Australia.
At the end of 2017, Dimitrov won the ATP Finals.
2,240 days passed and he played 112 tournaments until he was able to lift a trophy again.
He deserved it.
pic.twitter.com/b7VbJokHZr— Set Tennis (@settenisok) January 7, 2024
2024-01-08 16:24:18
#Federers #heir #finds #years
