Grigor Dimitrov: My main priority is to do better at the Grand Slams
The 2017 season was a pretty good one for Grigor Dimitrov, but the Bulgarian is ready to kick on.
Dimitrov won his maiden ATP Masters title last year, claimed the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals trophy and also reached a career-high ranking of number three in the world.
He also made it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open, but his performances in the other three Grand Slams were not something to write home about.
The 26-year-old exited this year’s Australian Open at the quarter-final stage and says his main aim for the rest of 2018 is to perform better at the majors.
“I want to try to improve at tournaments I didn’t do well at in 2017,” he told Atpworldtour.com. “I want to do better at the Grand Slams. That’s the priority for any top player. Last year, I did a lot of good things on and off the court, being more consistent and playing well in the big matches, and also winning close matches.
“When you put all that together, good things can happen. I surprised myself a little bit too about my year (2017), but physically I did feel I was in a position to compete well.”
Dimitrov hasn’t played since he lost at Melbourne Park as he was forced to pull out of his home event, the Sofia Open, last week due to should injury.
However, he will return to action at the Rotterdam Open this week and he is part of an impressive field that includes Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Alexander Zverev.
“You want to compete against the top players, you want to challenge yourself,” he said. “That’s why I compete.
“My shoulder injury is holding up well [and] I am slowly beginning to serve a little bit faster. I have done the work in the gym. I never stop working. If I don’t practise every day, I go to the gym, or go for a hike. On my days off, I like to go to the gym, just get your body moving, in a routine, a rhythm.
“I have recently felt that my body is getting to maturity and holding up well to absorb the hard work. So I am very positive about the future, I am excited to play and to compete. I know [that] if I put in the work day after day, extra effort, the results will come. The ranking then becomes automatic.”
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