Grigor Dimitrov.....:D

ATP Tour - Tennis Spy: Grigor Dimitrov

We profile 'the new Roger Federer' - Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov - in our weekly look at the rising stars of the game.

Full name: Grigor Dimitrov

Nationality: Bulgarian

Age: 17 (DOB: May 16, 1991)

World Ranking: 394

Career highlights: Won the junior Grand Slam titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open in 2008. He also won the US Open junior doubles event in 2007 with Canadian Vasek Pospisil. On the futures tour he has already won five titles (three singles and two doubles). After receiving a wild card into the ATP Rotterdam event earlier this year Dimitrov beat Tomas Berdych before pushing Rafael Nadal to three sets. In February he was 6-4 5-2 in front against then world number eight Gilles Simon in Marseilles before finally losing the match in three.

General: The Bulgarian was at first coached back in his native Bulgaria before being sent off to be mentored by Spanish coach Pato Alvarez - who looked after Andy Murray in is his formative years. Dimitrov is now under the tutelage of the legendary former coach of Marat Safin and Roger Federer - Peter Lundgren. The Swede has already said that Dimitrov is a better at 17 than Federer was at that age.

Strengths: It is unlikely you will find too many articles about Dimitrov in the next few years that don't compare the young Bulgarian to Federer. He has the same smoothness of stroke as the Swiss master with his forehand looking almost identical to the former world number one's. His one-handed backhand is particular solid and varied as he mixes drives with top-spin. Against Nadal he also showed a panache for the drop shot and his net play is also solid if unspectacular.

Weaknesses: Dimitrov's biggest problem is that he keeps on growing! He is 6' 2" and growing which already makes him an inch taller than Federer. For a more limited player that height might be an advantage but for someone as fluid as Dimitrov it just impedes his movement around the court. He will need a carefully tailored training programme in the gym to ensure he bulks up in a way that most suits his game.

Prospects: After Dimitrov's successes at Flushing Meadows and Wimbledon people were queuing up to compare him to others who completed that double as juniors such Federer and Stefan Edberg. However, success at junior level does not always translate to the senior circuit. Leander Paes also won those two events but at senior level he has had to settle for a career as a doubles specialist (albeit a superb one). Nevertheless, the ability that Dimitrov has already shown against quality, established seniors like Simon, Berdych and of course Nadal proves that this boy is the real deal. Under the guidance of Lundgren, it is fair to say that talk of Grand Slams and maybe even a world number one ranking, while ambitious, is not fanciful.

Personal: Both his parents are involved in sport: his father is a tennis coach and his mother is a sports teacher. He is from the Haskovo region of Bulgaria - the same part as Bulgarian football team manager Stanimir Stoilov. He began playing tennis at five. He is based in Paris. Not surprisingly given his style his hero is Roger Federer. He has an interest in both cars and watches. He speaks fluent English. He has already earned some nicknames such as G-Force, Dimi, and PT (Prime Time).
Seán Fay / Eurosport

Grigor Dimitrov

Grigor Dimitrov as a Wimbledon youth champion in 2008
Country Bulgaria
Residence Haskovo, Bulgaria
Date of birth May 16, 1991 (1991-05-16) (age 17)
Place of birth Haskovo, Bulgaria
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Weight 76 kg (170 lb)
Turned pro 2008
Plays Right-handed; one-handed backhand
Career prize money USD $21,026
Singles
Career record: 1–3
Career titles: 0
Highest ranking: 389 (March 23, 2009)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open -
French Open -
Wimbledon -
US Open -
Doubles
Career record: 20-11
Career titles: 0
Highest ranking: 696 (June 23, 2008)

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgarian: Григор Димитров; born May 16, 1991, in Haskovo) is a tennis player from Bulgaria.

Junior career

In 2006 he won the Orange Bowl U16 boys singles[1] and was later named the Eddie Herr International 2007 Rising Star.[2]

In 2007, Grigor was the finalist at the Orange Bowl U18 boys singles, losing to Ričardas Berankis of Lithuania. Alongside Vasek Pospisil, he reached the 2007 U.S. Open doubles final, falling to Jonathan Eysseric and Jérôme Inzerillo.

He began the 2008 Grand Slam season with a quarterfinal showing at Roland Garros, losing to Poland's Jerzy Janowicz in three sets. However he went on to win Wimbledon after defeating Henri Kontinen of Finland, 7-5 6-3 in the final. He won the title without dropping a set despite playing with a shoulder injury throughout the tournament. The victory saw him join former junior champions Roger Federer and Stefan Edberg and guaranteed him a wildcard entry into the 2009 Wimbledon men's draw. His success continued at the US Open, which he won on September 7, defeating American qualifier Devin Britton 6-3,6-4.[3] On his way to the title he also defeated top seed Tsung-hua Yang of Taiwan in the semifinals. After the tournament Dimitrov announced that he was ending his junior career and focusing on improving his ATP ranking. On September 8 he became junior world number one overtaking Tsung-hua Yang[4].

Professional career

2008

Grigor began frequent participation in men's events in 2008. His first title came on clay at a futures tournament in Barcelona (19 May). His first ATP level match was at 's-Hertogenbosch where he lost to Igor Andreev (RUS) 1-6, 3-6. After his junior US Open title he won back to back futures tournaments in Madrid on hard court and rose 300 places to career high ranking of 477. The achievement attracted enough attention to earn him a wildcard into the AMS Madrid qualifying draw where he lost 3-6 3-6 to then #64 Florent Serra of France. After being granted another wildcard to the Davidoff Swiss Indoors Championships in Basel, he won his first professional match at the ATP level by defeating #122 Jiří Vaněk (CZE) 7-5 4-6 7-6(6), in the first round of the qualifying draw.

2009

At the start of 2009 he was granted a wildcard to the main draw of the 2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In the first round he upset the then world #23 Tomas Berdych (CZE) 4-6 6-3 6-4. In the second round he faced World #1 Rafael Nadal and pushed Nadal to the edge before losing 7-5 3-6 6-2. He was granted a wildcard to the main draw of the ATP World Tour 250 event Open 13 in Marseille, France. He lost 4-6 6-3 7-5 to world #8 Gilles Simon of France in the first round, after serving for the match at 3-5 in last set.

Coaching

As a child, Dimitrov was coached by his father, Dimitar, at Tennis Club Haskovo. As his talent became more apparent he started to receive coaching from abroad, most notably from Spaniard Pato Alvarez, who has also coached Britain's Andy Murray. Alvarez has reportedly said that Dimitrov is the best 17 year old he has coached. Around the time of his success at the 2009 ABN AMRO in Rotterdam, Dimitrov formally began a coaching relationship with Peter Lundgren, former coach of Marat Safin and Roger Federer. Lundgren has also been quick to praise Dimitrov, saying that "he is better than Federer was at his age."[5]

Playing style
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Dimitrov plays a solid baseline game, though he is also a proficient volleyer who doesn't avoid net play. His good touch was apparent in his first match against world #1 Rafael Nadal, when he twice used the drop shot and eventually won the point. He is equally comfortable hitting his one handed backhanded as a drive and with heavy topspin and that shot held up well against Nadal. In some rallies he was even able to push back Nadal on the forehand side by following a top spin shot with a low drive. His forehand has been described by some as a complete copy of Federer's. The service motion, also in the manner of Federer, is smooth and efficient. There is some weakness in his movement which, due to his tall and lanky frame, appears to be a bit labored and off pace.