Grigor Dimitrov could not be in a more different position than he was four months ago.
That was when he arrived at the US Open, floundering at world No.78 after losing seven of his eight previous matches dating back to the French Open.
Yet in New York, he rediscovered the form that took him as high as world No.3 in early 2018, and stormed into the semifinals after stunning Roger Federer in five sets -- his first ever victory over the great Swiss in eight attempts.
Later in the season Dimitrov advanced to the semifinals of the Paris Masters, and by the time he arrived in Sydney for the ATP Cup, he was back inside the top 20.
Two singles wins at Ken Rosewall Arena – first a come-from-behind win over Dan Evans, the second in straight sets against Radu Albot – have helped guide Team Bulgaria to two victories, and the top of Group C.
Dimitrov’s success at the ATP Cup has been two-pronged.
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It has positioned him as a strong contender at the upcoming Australian Open, where he came within one set of the 2017 final before going down in five to Rafael Nadal in a brilliant semi.
And it has also demonstrated his leadership qualities; Dimitrov is a rare playing captain at the inaugural edition of the team tournament.
“For me tennis has always been my passion and I think growing up in Bulgaria, I always wanted to bring something back to the country if I would have ever made it to the top,” Dimitrov said.
“Being able to have these guys by my side, it’s great to be able to give a little bit of an insight into what it is to be on the next level and hopefully they can achieve the same thing one day. I’m very happy to share, spend a lot of time with them. I just basically tell them, ‘Guys, ask me anything you want, anything you need.’ To me it’s a pure honour.
“I think we have a legitimate chance in every corner, on every level. If we stay united, if we do things the right way, anything can happen.”
So far, that attitude and determination has led to two Bulgarian victories, against Great Britain and Moldova.
Dimitar Kuzmanov has proven a solid singles No.2 under Dimitrov’s leadership; he stretched Brit Cameron Norrie to three sets before beating Moldova’s Alexander Cozbinov two days later.
And he has taken inspiration from having his celebrated countryman at the helm.
“Obviously it’s great for the whole country and for each sport, not only in tennis, but in every other sport," Kuzmanov said.
“He’s a role model, an ambassador for our country, for our sport, for our mentality, for our traditions and it’s great.”
Also thriving under Dimitrov’s leadership is 22-year-old Alexandar Lazarov, who combined with Dimitrov to upstage Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury in a match-tiebreak in the wee hours of Saturday morning in Sydney.
That result delivered Bulgaria’s first win of the competition, and set the tone for their tournament.
A win over Belgium tonight would see them qualify for the Final Eight stage of the competition.
“It’s unbelievable. Just to be able to learn from such a player, it’s amazing,” Lazarov said of Dimitrov.
“He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen on tour and it’s very easy to see and to know what you have to work on.”