“Toughest player was Roger Federer, once I wanted to dig a hole & disappear” – Grigor Dimitrov suggests facing Jannik Sinner doesn’t compare to Swiss

Despite his resounding loss to Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Miami Open final, Grigor Dimitrov has expressed that facing the Italian does not evoke the same emotions as facing Roger Federer.

Sinner secured his second ATP Masters 1000 title in a commanding manner, defeating Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 in just one hour and 14 minutes in the Miami final. This victory not only dethroned Carlos Alcaraz, but also propelled the Italian to a career-best ranking of World No. 2, making him the first Italian male to accomplish such a feat.

After his defeat, Grigor Dimitrov was questioned about Jannik Sinner’s skill compared to the top players he has competed against at their peak. Without hesitation, the Bulgarian cited Roger Federer as his most formidable adversary, reminiscing about a Wimbledon match against the 20-time Grand Slam title holder where he wished he could disappear from the court.

“I know for me I was going to say the toughest player that I have played at his absolute prime was Roger. Just too funny, actually. I remember a few times even at Wimbledon, once I remember it was just — I wanted to dig a hole and disappear (smiling),”Grigor Dimitrov said in his post-match press conference.

Despite his resounding loss to Sinner in the Miami Open final, Dimitrov admitted that no other player had evoked such strong feelings from him. He disclosed that he had “suffered”the most against Federer.

“I haven’t had that feeling yet against anyone, so I will leave it at that, I guess. Yeah, probably that’s going to be the player I felt like, yeah, I suffered the most with,”he added.

Grigor Dimitrov Praises Jannik Sinner’s Unique Talent and Refuses to Compare Him to Other Players

At the press conference, Grigor Dimitrov was asked about Jannik Sinner’s level in comparison to Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.

Despite being asked to make comparisons, the Bulgarian refused to do so and instead shared his admiration for the Italian’s “exceptional”performance.

“I think at the moment clearly Jannik is playing, I mean, outstanding tennis. There is nothing to say to that. You see how focused he is, how determined he is, the way he’s hitting his shots, there is zero doubt, so a lot of that level, it’s extremely high up,”Grigor Dimitrov said.

“I don’t feel the need to compare him to any other player or any player, for that matter. I think it’s just clearly that’s his time of, you know, like, prime tennis that he’s playing,”he added.

In addition, Dimitrov praised the 22-year-old for consistently delivering strong performances and declared him as the current best player in the world.

“Can he play any better? I don’t know. He’s the one to show that. But at the moment that he’s been able to really put so many matches back to back with the same level, so all credit goes to him. And he is the best player right now in the world,”he said.