Tennis Special Feature: Grigor Dimitrov and the ‘Federer’ expectation - Part III
Contd. from Part 2
While Lundgren was undoubtedly a strong coach, McNamara is reputed to be the force behind Dimitrov’s new focus. He has been hitting harder than ever before, but Dimitrov himself also gives credit to his father. Dimitar, a tennis
coach in Bulgaria, is Dimitrov’s standard source of advice whenever the young pro encounters a problem with his shots and game. Dimitrov says, “I always call my dad when I need him, whether it is during a tournament or other times when I need some details
regarding my technique because he was the one who showed me everything.”
Dimitrov also relies heavily on the Patrick Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, Paris, for advice on his game. The Bulgarian moved to France at the age of 16, after spending two years in Barcelona with Pato Alverez (British No. 1 Andy
Murray’s first coach, another influence). Moving to Spain at the age of 14 was not easy for the Bulgarian pro, who says, “It is tough when you are living on your own and learning everything yourself. But it was good for me, actually - I figured a lot of things
out myself and made my own decisions. I got through a lot of difficult times.”
At the same time, the last year has not been easy for Dimitrov either. He got into a fight with Daniel Infanger, an umpire at Helsinki, after Dimitrov lost to Ricardo Berankis at the semifinals of the last match he played in 2010.
He was forced to pay a fine of two thousand Euros, and was threatened with suspension after the altercation. Dimitrov acknowledges that the matter was a fault on his part, saying, “I made a mistake and I am learning from it. I have apologised to all the people
- I have written to everyone involved, admitting I made a mistake and it won't happen again. Now I have moved on and I am looking forward to 2011.”
Speaking of 2011, it promises to be an exciting year. Dimitrov, nicknamed ‘G-Force’, says he plans to stay injury-free and build up his momentum to test himself at a level higher than the one he has been used to in the past; he
will need this leap, since in January, Dimitrov will start playing with the ATP World Tour. This is a big jump from the Challenger events he has been sweeping away. His current ranking has been enough to grant him direct entry into the Australian Open, the
first Major of the year.
Dimitrov sees the entire process as a sharp learning curve, and he seems to be excited by the prospect of the next part of his career. He believes that the only way he can move on with his career is by participating in bigger events,
maturing on court, and eventually making a name for himself. Whatever the case, Dimitrov will definitely be a player to watch out for in 2011.
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