WATCH: Serena Williams and Grigor Dimitrov share a tight embrace following his Miami Open SF win against Alexander Zverev

During the three-set semifinal match between Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov at the 2024 Miami Open on Friday (March 29), Serena Williams was present to support her close friend Dimitrov. After the match, Williams caught up with the Bulgarian player and engaged in a lively conversation at the campus near the Hard Rock Stadium.

In his first-ever Miami Open semi-final, Dimitrov had a strong start and managed to win the first set 6-4 after breaking Zverev in the 10th game. Despite both players holding their serves in the second set, it ultimately came down to a tiebreaker which Zverev won with a score of seven points to four.

In the final set, Grigor Dimitrov played exceptionally well, managing to break the World No. 5 at 3-3 with a fast forehand volley. This was only the second time he was able to do so throughout the match. After this crucial point, he maintained his momentum and held his next two service games, resulting in a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 win after two hours and 39 minutes of play.

After her match, the 11th seed reunited with Serena Williams, who had watched both men’s singles semifinal matches in Miami on Friday. The two were visibly delighted to see each other and exchanged a brief conversation. As their encounter came to a close, they shared a heartfelt hug.

Serena Williams and Grigor Dimitrov have a long history, dating back to their early days in the tennis world. In 2013, their relationship faced some challenges as the latter was romantically involved with Maria Sharapova, Serena’s archrival. At the time, the 23-time Major winner commented on her thoughts about Dimitrov:

“She’s still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it.”

Despite their previous conflicts, the two players were able to repair their relationship. In fact, Dimitrov even joined Williams for a practice session before the 2018 Australian Open. Additionally, Williams provided commentary for one of his matches on Patrick Mouratoglou’s UTS tour in 2021.

The link to the video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAYIeIzLnf8.

Serena Williams Commends Grigor Dimitrov on Winning Brisbane International 2024

In more recent times, Serena Williams extended her congratulations to the 32-year-old after his victory at the 2024 Brisbane International. This was his first ATP title in over six years, and she shared TennisTV’s congratulatory post on her own page with the accompanying caption:

“So happy for my brother”

Furthermore, the American expressed her joy in the responses to Dimitrov’s Instagram post after his victory at the ATP 250 tournament, stating:

“YESSSSSSSS BRO!!!! 👏👏👏👏”

On Sunday (March 31), Grigor Dimitrov will be competing against Jannik Sinner in the final of the Miami Open. The Bulgarian’s sole ATP Masters 1000 victory was at the 2017 Cincinnati Open. He enters the match with a 1-2 record against the World No. 3 in their previous head-to-head encounters.