“Serena Williams came to me like, ‘I don’t wanna distract you,’ I was like, ‘You helped me’”: Grigor Dimitrov on counting on American in Miami Open SF

Recently, Grigor Dimitrov disclosed that Serena Williams had given him a pep talk before his Miami Open semifinal match on Friday (March 29). He credited her words of encouragement for playing a significant role in his success, as he reached his third ATP Masters 1000 final.

Despite facing setbacks in two of his first three early-round matches, 11th seed Dimitrov has managed to dominate the Miami Masters with a series of unexpected victories. Defeating top players Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, he has secured a spot in the tournament’s championship match where he will take on World No. 3 Jannik Sinner on Sunday (March 31).

During an interview with Tennis Channel after his semi-final win, Grigor Dimitrov shared with host Prakash Amitraj that his close friend Serena Williams had given him some words of support right before he stepped onto the court to play against Zverev.

Despite the fact that the 23-time Major winner was hesitant to divert the Bulgarian’s attention from the match, he still found her advice to be valuable. Additionally, the 32-year-old held his close friendship with the American legend in high regard, a bond that has been formed over the course of many years.

“Yeah, she came to me like, ‘I don’t wanna distract you, I don’t wanna distract you, but I gotta tell you something.’ It was just like one sentence, you know, she always knows what to tell me, I think,”Grigor Dimitrov told Tennis Channel. “In any given moment, I think, my friendship with her means so much to me.”

“And been able to keep it that way throughout the years, and of course, having her coming to watch me like, ‘I don’t wanna distract you.’ I was like, ‘You actually helped me!’ So, you know, again it’s very humbling… those are the moments that keep me going.”

“The Unmatched Talent and Friendship of Serena Williams and Grigor Dimitrov”

At his post-match press conference, Grigor Dimitrov shared additional information about his relationship with Serena Williams. The former World No. 3 revealed that he and the 42-year-old regularly keep updated on each other’s lives.

Additionally, he revealed that she had been there to support him when he achieved his first-career top 10 victory against Tomas Berdych at the 2012 Miami Open.

“She’s amazing. We stay in touch. We nearly speak on a daily basis. She said, ‘I’m gonna come watch.’ I was, like, ‘Okay.’ It’s always very humbling to have such a supporter in your corner,”Grigor Dimitrov said. “Actually, I remember she was even here when I had my first top-10 win. It was a very nice moment. I think we both remember that.”

The thirty-two-year-old also mentioned that meeting new friends while on the pro tour was the most enjoyable aspect of playing tennis.

“It’s friendship, man. I think this is the best part. Tennis is tennis, but, you know, we are all living our dream right now. I think the real life begins after, and I think we have managed to be such good and close friends after so many years,”he said. “And again, to be able to lean on, to share thoughts, ideas, and sometimes to even vent, someone that actually played tennis, right? It helps a lot.”