Dimitrov eyes Australian Open breakthrough
Grigor Dimitrov is intent on seizing the moment and ushering in a new era of men’s tennis as he heads the queue of unfulfilled talents chasing Australian Open glory at Melbourne Park.
The Bulgarian world No.3 has long been hailed as the most likely to lead a changing of the guard and, after coming of age with victory at the 2017 ATP Tour Finals in London, Dimitrov is primed to end the decade-and-a-half-long dominance of tennis’ so-called Big Four.
Between them, grand slam giants Roger Federer (19), Rafael Nadal (16), Novak Djokovic (12) and Andy Murray (3) have amassed an extraordinary 50 major championships since 2003.
Throw in three for Stan Wawrinka and that’s left slim pickings for their challengers, with 2005 Open champion Marat Safin and one-slam wonders Andy Roddick (2003), Gaston Gaudio (2004), Juan Martin del Potro (2009) and Marin Cilic (2014) the only others to find a seat at the table
‘‘I have a good amount of confidence. I’ve done those extra miles. The legs feel good so it’s all about putting it in on the court now.’’
since Federer’s Wimbledon breakthrough 15 years ago.
Incredibly, Nadal, at 31, and
36-year-old Federer are back as the top seeds in Melbourne for the first time since 2011 after sweeping all four slams last season.
But with Murray recovering from his surgery and Djokovic and Wawrinka under serious fitness clouds having not played since Wimbledon, opportunity knocks for third-seeded Dimitrov, 20-yearold world No.4 Alexander Zverev and Australia’s big hope Nick Kyrgios.
The trio, along with Canadian prodigy Denis Shapovalov, flamboyant Korean Hyeon Chung, Russian dynamos Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov, Croatia’s next-gen star Borna Coric and seemingly Australian teenage summer sensation Alex de Minaur head the list of potential grand slam champions in the future.
At 26, Dimitrov is approaching the peak of his powers and hopes his time starts now.
A year after falling two games short of a dream final against Federer, Dimitrov knows the Open trophy is up for grabs.
‘‘When you see those type of opportunities, you need to be able to seize them,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s no point to say I could have done it or not. This is in front of you, this is what you have and I always like to work with what I have and this is the moment for me to grab the opportunity.
‘‘I have a good amount of confidence. I’ve done those extra miles. The legs feel good so it’s all about putting it in on the court now.’’
Dimitrov’s first stern test is likely to come from Kyrgios in a fourth-round blockbuster.
After losing to the gifted but combustible Canberran in the semi-finals of the season-opening Brisbane International, Dimitrov is wary of Kyrgios.
‘‘It was a very interesting match. I thought I had everything under control but then after that first set, everything kind of slipped away from me,’’ Dimitrov said.
‘‘He slashed a few shots and got his belief back, I guess, and he started serving unbelievable.
‘‘So for me after that I tried to do everything I can to get into the rally but there was pretty much no rallies at all. ‘‘Of course well deserved for him. That’s a great start to the year for him and he’s definitely a contender now.’’
Meanwhile German young gun Alexander Zverev plans on correcting his CV and finally confirming his grand slam bona fides with a deep Australian Open run.
Zverev’s five tour titles in 2017 was third only to Roger Federer (7) and Rafael Nadal (6) and catapulted the 20-year-old to world No.4, providing some welcome comfort in the Open draw.
Having yet to reach a grand slam quarter-final in 10 attempts — and only once venturing beyond the third round last year — Zverev admits he can do without striking a heavyweight early.
‘‘Improving my grand slam results from last year was definitely my goal for this year,’’ he said.
‘‘I had a great year on tour but the grand slams have been a little bit shaky for me still.’’