At match point for Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, his opponent, Andrey Rublev charged the net, his red mane following him like a flame, holding the heat he was about to impart on the ball. But the fire quickly flamed out when his whipping one-handed backhand sailed straight into the net. A victorious Dimitrov threw his hands in the air, beamed a smile, and showed the jubilance that tennis can still serve, even for a veteran of the game, here at the 2024 US Open.
The grind of the professional tennis tour can erode even the most impassioned player’s love for the game into a wizened and withered shell of what it once was. But for Dimitrov, who just punched his ticket to the US Open quarterfinals for the second time in his career, the tour is as much about the joy of the game as it is about the on-court triumphs.
“I just want to live my dream, like, that’s all I'm doing right now,” Dimitrov said after his fourth-round win in Flushing Meadows.
At 33, Dimitrov is the oldest player left in the men’s draw, a doyen of the sport who still seems to have that sparkle for the court left in his eye.
“I think tennis overall, it's just a moment,” Dimitrov said. “We have a window.”
Dimitrov’s view from that aperture has been pretty scenic as of late. He reached a career-high rank of No. 3 in 2017, and in the subsequent years, has seen a steady descent.
But 2024 has been a career renaissance for the former No. 3. He lifted the trophy in Brisbane at the start of the year, his first title since 2017. After a final run in Miami, the Bulgarian was buoyed back into the Top 10, and his summer Slams have been successful. He made it to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and the Round of 16 at the All-England Club.
Dimitrov’s resurgence in the ranks has been part and parcel to his positive mindset, and finding the delight that might not be obvious.
“I'm 15 years on tour, and it feels like it just went very quick," he said. "It goes quicker and quicker every single year because, let's face it, I'm closer to the end than the beginning. So that makes you appreciate even more the times that you get to do that, and winning those matches at that point now and all the mental battles that you need to win first within yourself and then things are easier outside.”
Dimitrov’s battles while in Queens have been tough, but he’s attacked each with his fast, fluid play, and the mindset of a man who has filled his proverbial cup with the tennis wisdom one learns while cutting their teeth on courts across the world. He’s attributed less to the losses, and understands that to advance his game, it’s best not to beat himself up after he’s bested in a match.
“I still have my bad days, but now I just kind of let them in," he said. "I don't force things as I used to force before. Maybe that's one of the parts of growing up on so many different levels. Not only for the sport, but I think for yourself.”
Dimitrov’s maturity has led him to the second week in Flushing for the second time in his career, where he’ll face a somewhat fresher faced Frances Tiafoe, seven years Dimitrov’s junior. No matter the outcome for the pair’s quarterfinal face-off, Dimitrov’s love for the game will prevail.
“So I want to keep on going until I cannot anymore," he said, "So I think as long as I have a racquet in my hand, I have a chance.”
