There are few avid tennis fans who have not heard of Grigor Dimitrov who has been tagged as the next big phenomenon on the tennis court. The young player, who hails from Bulgaria, is only 19 years old and turned professional only two years ago in 2008. His first major breakthroughs were as a junior player, where he won the boys singles tournaments at Wimbledon and the junior US Open, giving him a junior high rank of world number one.
Dimitrov achieved his highest professional career ranking only a day ago, on September 20, 2010. The 6 foot 2 inch player defeated former Top 20 player Dmitry Tursunov to win his second consecutive ATP Challenger-level event. This victory enabled him to claim the Bangkok title and move up 44 places to a career high of world number 146.
This young player also scored a victory at the ATP tournament, the Geneva Challenger, at the end of August this year. With this Bangkok title, his win streak increases to 10 matches. Dimitrov has had an exceptional summer, with victories in three European Futures events. He has won 22 of his last 23 matches, as well as both Futures and Challengers.
Grigor Dimitrov, also known as G-Force, seems to have caught the eye of several authorities; the first agency to discover his talent was the Aegon 2009 organizing team, which offered him a wild card to the tournament. However, he seems to be the first player of his generation to be compared with all-time tennis legend, Roger Federer.
The first comparisons made are physical. It is impossible to miss the dark hair, held by a bandana; the black slanting eyes, the firm cheekbone structure; the lanky frame. To add to this, Dimitrov seems to idealize Federer, with his all back strip being highly reminiscent of Federer’s own.
Another reason for this comparison is Peter Lundgren. Lundgren was Roger Federer’s coach in his pre-championship days, during the training that led to his first Wimbledon title. He has since then taken on the coaching of Grigor Dimitrov, and has reported that this new talent has even more potential than Federer had.
However, all these factors aside, G-Force’s game speaks for itself. The first shot to catch the eye is his smooth backhand; with a sweep echoing Federer’s style, his single handed backhand is fast, effective, flexible and may become his signature shot. To add to this, his serve stance is almost identical to Federer’s: feet placed one in front of the other, knees bent. However, Dimitrov’s serve is already more powerful than that of the Swiss champion. His forehand is also classic Federer: spinning off his leading leg, the other leg lifted slightly. It is fast and adaptable, and will no doubt improve. In addition to this, his strange drop shot – curved and slicing – makes it almost seem as if he is being coached by Federer himself.
Dimitrov’s failures, if any, are directly linked to his young age and lack of experience. He seems to be leggy and still underdeveloped, but is still growing. Another fault of his is his puppy-like enthusiasm; he jumps in to take every shot possible, often risking sprains and breaks. However, this attack and keenness were what made Federer’s game so pleasant to watch. He also possesses the control that Federer himself fought hard to master past the age of 18, giving more credence to Lundgren’s assessment.
Dimitrov is all set to compete in another ATP Challenger tournament in Bangkok this week, where his first match will be against the seventh seed Ivan Dodig.
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