Before Grigor Dimitrov won the biggest title of his career in the last ATP event of 2017, he and coach Dani Vallverdu had already booked some practice times for the first grand slam of the new year. Melbourne Park awaits the newly-minted world No.3, who only 18 months ago was its No.40. Much has changed since then.
Meet the new and improved Dimitrov, for whom no detail is too small, and no amount of dedication seemingly too great. With Vallverdu as his guide, the 26-year-old is again starting to find his way, a debut Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati among four titles and an Australian Open semi another highlight of a season that ended, at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals, in the best possible way.
No longer is the smooth-stroking Dimitrov the young talent who won his debut tour-level match as a 17-year-old against Tomas Berdych and took a set off Rafael Nadal in the second, then reached the last four at Wimbledon and cracked the top 10 in 2014. And no more, mercifully, is he called ‘Baby Fed’. The Bulgarian acknowledges he almost deserves late-bloomer status, while claiming to be grateful for all he has learned along the way.
“Everybody has a different path,’’ Dimitrov said after his finals defeat of David Goffin at London’s 02 in November. “I think just sooner or later you realise things in life, I mean, whether it's tennis or whether it's life. It's the way you've been working, you do the stuff. I mean, I think there's a lot of components that are kind of coming together at some point.
“You kind of make a decision. I think my decision's been made since long time. It was just against like fighting with my demons to find the right path to be consistent enough. Other than that, I wouldn't put anything away. I think the best is yet to come. I'm super excited for what's ahead. I'm already looking for the next season.”
Dimitrov remains 1-10 at the slams against top-10 opponents. As much as Dimitrov was happy to declare in a morning-after ATP interview - with the trophy beside him and a fat cheque having taken his season prize money to more than US$6.57 million - that even at his lowest point in mid-2016 he had never lost the faith, others were starting to waver.
A surprise loser to Andrey Rublev in the second round of a depleted US Open, Dimitrov is yet to reach a major final - beaten by Roger Federer in that first semi at the All England Club and by sometime training partner Nadal in a five set Australian Open classic that last four-and-a-half hours and in which he hit 79 winners, yet still fell just short.
As much as the great Spaniard has proved to be a roadblock - having also beaten Dimitrov this year in lengthy back-to-back finals in Beijing and Shanghai- he is also an example to a younger rival who admits he has long asked himself when struggling to deal with on-court frustrations whether Rafa would be carrying on and complaining if in the same situation. The answer: no.
A key appointment, in August 2016, was Vallverdu, the man who has previously worked with the likes of Andy Murray and Berdych and is described by his current charge as “easily the hardest-working coach out there”. His no-shortcuts message was embraced, and the results are showing, Dimitrov so committed he says he has even put his head down on days he should have put his feet up.
But rather that than the alternative. The young man who acknowledges how premature he was to think “wow, I’m here’’ after that headline-grabbing debut in Rotterdam almost a decade ago, believes he is better prepared and making superior decisions, more settled off-court and tougher mentally on it, embracing his positive, aggressive approach.
There was no secret ingredient, no one key, but many elements. As Dimitrov puts it: “Little by little, yeah, drop by drop, here I am.’’ And next, now that he has what he describes as a ‘red dot’ on his back after his first top 10 finish? One bettered by only Nadal and Federer?
“The important thing is just to stay on the ground and put your head down, even work harder because once you get to that point, everything becomes so narrow for you,’’ Dimitrov said. “I just want to keep the same line. I don't want to get too hyped up because I've done well, now I'm No. 3 in the world. No, this makes me even more locked in, more excited about my work, and for what's to come.’’
