It is more than 10 years since Grigor Dimitrov reached his sole Wimbledon semi-final and back then it still seemed a reasonable bet that the Bulgarian once dubbed “Baby Federer” would win a Grand Slam title.
There were semi-final runs at the US Open and Australian Open after that, but it has never quite happened and despite him still being ranked No. 21, it most likely never will.
Dimitrov, 34, remains one of the most stylish players on the circuit though, with his elegant single-handed backhand and smooth all-court game a rare reminder of how tennis was before the power merchants turned it into baseline warfare.
Photo: AP
For those still pining for now-retired eight-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, Dimitrov offers some comfort and so for tennis connoisseurs, a sunny Court Three was the place to be for his match with tricky French player Corentin Moutet on Thursday.
They were not disappointed either as the entertaining duel was full of artistry and flair.
Despite giving away eight years to an opponent who reached his first grasscourt final last month in Mallorca, Dimitrov emerged with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory to prolong his 59th successive Grand Slam appearance, the most of any active player.
Photo: AP
Asked what drives him on, Dimitrov, who had to retire in the second round of the French Open with a hip injury, said: “When you get a little bit older, your challenge becomes very different. It’s not the players any more. It’s not winning or losing. It’s your own battle.”
“You need to know your whys: why you play tennis, why you want to keep on going, why you want to go through this type of thing with your body,” he said.
It was far from comfortable for the former world No. 3, despite striking 64 winners, and he required some occasional help from his opponent, notably a double-fault from the flamboyant Frenchman on set point in the third.
The bearded Moutet, ranked No. 69, stayed in the match with some stunning tennis in the fourth set, bowing to the crowd at one point after racing back to retrieve a lob and replying with a winning lob of his own, played between his legs.
It was another entry to his show-reel that included one mind-boggling drop-shot, also through the legs, in his opening-round win against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana.
However, it was Dimitrov’s more refined game that held sway.
The 2008 Wimbledon junior champion broke serve at 5-5 in the fourth set and then held his own delivery to reach the third round for the seventh time.
In the men’s doubles, Taiwan’s Ray Ho and partner Yunchaokete Bu of China exited in the first round at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London, beaten 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 by Marcel Granollers of Spain and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.
In the first round of the women’s doubles, Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Georgia’s Oksana Kalashnikova and Elena Pridankina of Russia 6-2, 6-3 to set up a second-round clash against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania.
That match was to begin at about press time last night, as was the second-round clash between Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Italian duo Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.
In the mixed doubles, Wu Fang-hsien of Taiwan and partner Sadio Doumbia of France were to play Desirae Krawczyk of the US and Neal Skupski of the UK.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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