Grigor Dimitrov’s career has largely overlapped with that of the ‘Big 4’ – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic. Despite the intense competition, he values the opportunity to have played amongst some of the best players in the sport.
During his press conference following his appearance in the final at the Miami Open, Dimitrov was questioned about whether he felt unfortunate to have been born in an era dominated by some of the greatest players in the sport.
Reacting to this, the Bulgarian expressed that he saw himself as ‘extremely fortunate’ to have competed against and emerged victorious against the top players throughout his career, and he valued the entire experience.
“Totally the opposite, actually. Totally the opposite,”Grigor Dimitrov said. “Very lucky. How often you say I played in an era against the best players and you have beaten them all?”
“It’s great. I’m sorry, but I can live with that. You know, all that, the titles and all this, yeah, it’s great. But the journey, the ride, it was, for me personally, not having these guys around, it’s a little sad,”he added.
Despite joking that he would prefer not to face the ‘Big 4′ frequently, Dimitrov recognized that these matches were crucial in developing his mental fortitude.
“I don’t want to play them, don’t get me wrong (smiling) at the moment, but it’s kind of sad,”the Bulgarian said. “I love watching them play. I love competing against them, and you can always learn something.”
“I think throughout the years I have had so many quarterfinal matches and third-, fourth-round matches where I had to play against them. But that also maybe shaped me to have that mental toughness and to do certain things different at that point in my career, like them,”he added.
“Lessons from Legends: Grigor Dimitrov on Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray”
Grigor Dimitrov continued to shower praise on the ‘Big 4′, emphasizing the valuable lessons that can be gleaned from the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Novak Djokovic.
The Bulgarian continued by praising them as ‘pioneers’, emphasizing that having a diverse group of players at the top level of the game greatly benefits the sport.
“You can certainly learn a lot from each one, very different,”Grigor Dimitrov said. “I think each one had a very different way of doing things, but each one of them had amazing qualities.”
“I think in a way they are the pioneers of nowadays tennis for us. I don’t know. I think overall, to have players like that with such a diversity that all of them had, Novak is still playing and Andy, as well, but to really see that is I think going to be a little bit more rare,”he added.
Regardless of the outcome, Dimitrov’s appearance in the Miami Open final against Jannik Sinner will secure his return to the top-10 of the world rankings.
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