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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPSJune 14, 2014Grigor DimitrovLONDON, ENGLAND G. DIMITROV/S. Wawrinka THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Is that an England shirt? GRIGOR DIMITROV: You wish. (Laughter.) Q. How does it feel to be in the final? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Great. It's a good feeling. I always wanted to be in a final out here, stepping on that on Sunday means a lot to me, especially out here. I don't know why I have such a strong intuition about that tournament. It has always been like one of the biggest events for me, for some reason. It's nothing better than to be in the final. But again, I've got a match to play tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure I'm going to go out there and give 100% of myself. Q. Do players play with a little bit more freedom at this tournament, like ahead of Wimbledon, which, you know, there is so much riding on that? GRIGOR DIMITROV: You felt that too, right? Yeah, me too. (Smiling.) Yeah, it's a good feeling to know that you've got Wimby to play and basically you've got nothing to lose when you come out here. For me, every tournament, every match means a lot. At that point I think I'm having a lot of bad years so far, so I don't want to take that for granted. I just want to win as many matches as possible, as many tournaments as possible, and I just want to win. That's my ultimate goal. I mean, I have worked for those moments. I have worked for those moments to come on to those matches and perform at a high level. I don't expect anything less from myself. I'm just striving for that. Whether it's going to be that tournament or Wimbledon or anything else afterwards, to me it's just what I have at the moment. Every match, every win means a lot to me. Q. You have been identified as the next big thing for years. Do you feel under any kind of pressure to make the breakthrough to legitimize that? GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think it's tough to define the word "breakthrough." I think nowadays when we have quite a few guys that are sort of out there already, meaning that they are around the top 10 area, everyone is striving for it. Everyone wants to get out there. So, I mean, I wouldn't call it breakthrough. Of course, you would want to be more consistent. I think that's more of my logistic word for that. But it's just sometimes just people making really like a big deal out of that thing for some reason, just like, you know, the breakthrough this, that. To me, it's just, you know, a stage that you've got to go through. Some people really find it very easy and acclimate themself pretty fast to the atmosphere and to the stage. Others it just takes time. They obviously try‑‑ they're finding it but in a different way. I think everyone is different. But at the same time I still, as I said, I still feel that there's just a lot to go for me. I think I'm still at the beginning of a good path. I just want to follow it at the moment and don't want to put myself on the side or just observe. I just want to be in it. I'm doing everything that's possible. Q. Do stats and records mean anything to you? I ask this because if you win the final, you'll be the only player on the men's tour this year to have won on three main surfaces. GRIGOR DIMITROV: It's a good thing. I mean, I really haven't thought about that. Of course it's something that I would love to do. I mean, again, in the end, that's why I have been working so hard‑ doesn't matter what surface it is ‑ to come out and win the event. There is always going to be stats and all those things. We're surrounded by them, anyway. Now especially with the social media and stuff, you see these things right away first thing you come out of the match. I mean, I haven't thought about it. I don't think I will think about it, because I'm sure I'm going to have to find some other solution when I get out there on the court or whoever I'm playing. So I have to deal with all those things there, so I think I'll put that one on the back of my head for now. Q. Andy Murray won this tournament last year.  He didn't play at the French. He had a bit more time to practice on grass. Do you think in a way, going out comparatively early in Paris, did that help you here? Did you have more time to prepare on grass? GRIGOR DIMITROV: That's always a plus. I mean, it's no secret to that. It's always a plus spending an extra three, four days and putting those extra hours on the grass early on are obviously really important. It's never easy to do that, you know, to change the surface from one to the other. I know for a fact it's not easy. But again, it's also how you're going to prepare and how your mental state will be. I was really down after the French Open. I didn't touch a racquet for around five, six days after that. It took a lot of, I would say, courage for me to just come right up here and sort of grind out there on the grass court and finding a way to go through every day with that, you know, stinging pain from the French Open. It was just painful. You know, I was just keep dwelling on it every day. But at the same time that pushed me into those hard sessions on and off the court. Eventually put me in a really good position. I was really positive coming into that week. Next thing you know, I'm in the final. So that's a good sign. Q. Did you take that time off just because you felt you needed to rest, or was it because you were frustrated? GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think it was everything. I thought I played quite a few matches already, and, you know, clay is tiring. Clay is also a lot of emotions, especially when you compete in the highest level. You have a fair amount of traveling, as well. I think all that combined. It was good timing for me to take a few days off. It was a good thing for me to leave everything aside for a bit and sort of, you know, calm myself down and settle and thinking that I'm going to have a better grass court season. But it's never easy, because those days you just practice, you know, you don't have to go out and compete the next day, so that of course stays in your head a little bit. You're overanalyzing every day. You know, you go for those sort of long walks and you just keep thinking what's been happening to you. But I took that in a very positive way. So I had no doubts that I'm going to have to play well. Q. How long does it normally take you to get over a loss? And the loss in Paris, did it take you a bit longer than normal? GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think I'm pretty good with losses, in general. But this one in Paris was just tough because the thing is I was ready and I was really expecting for myself to come out there and really perform really good, especially on those courts. But I think this loss in particular really took a lot out of me. I think therefore I had all those days just to, you know, put myself out of the scene for a little bit and sort of go back to the basics and, you know, find another inspiration for me. Yeah, it took a few days, but again, it's for the best. Q. Did you stay in Paris that week? GRIGOR DIMITROV: No, no. I just stayed for another day and then came here. Q. When you were going on your walks, where would you go? GRIGOR DIMITROV: You mean here? Q. Yeah. GRIGOR DIMITROV: I run for around 25 miles for the whole week. I did a lot of running. It was a good thing to kind of flush myself out. I was here, and I love being here. I was practicing around in the area. I was just ‑‑it was just really nice to go back to basics, you know, have to get out, take a taxi or Tube or whatever you had to do to get to the court. It actually felt pretty cool. I was excited about it, for some reason. It felt great. You know, it was just free. Then obviously after that, the improvisation starting to come in and you start to become more creative. There is your hunger for practice, and there's your mental practice, as well, just you and your coach out there grinding for a few hours, and it pays back. Q. There wasn't any sort of one specific moment or thing that made you realize you (indiscernible)? GRIGOR DIMITROV: You mean like just the tournament here? Q. Well, just in terms of you saying how you got over that... GRIGOR DIMITROV: No, it was just ‑‑I mean, obviously I couldn't get back the match. What else could I do except dwell for a few days and, okay, just get it over with. The good thing in tennis is you always have a next week, but it's just when you fall, I think the matter is how are you going to get up? How are you going to bounce back? And I proved not only to everyone, but I mainly proved to myself that I bounce back pretty good. You know, following back to a final after that loss, it's a good thing for me. I'm not going to lie. It feels good, but my job isn't over yet. Q. Can you take that nothing‑to‑lose attitude into tomorrow and then Wimbledon, as well? GRIGOR DIMITROV: I mean, in a way you always sort of got to think like that. You've got to make sure that you come out on the court. You prepare the best way possible. It's not nothing to lose. You have everything to lose in a match. You basically risk everything out there when you play a match. You know, you can get injured. Anything can happen. So you basically risk everything when you're out there. But I don't think I should take any match as just a match. So that's why I think the approach and the attitude that you have, it's much more important to anything else. Eventually your game catches up with, you know, with all the rest. Q. Maria was here obviously watching you at the start of the week. Is she going to come back for the final? GRIGOR DIMITROV: I don't know. I think ‑‑I don't know. It's up to her, actually. You know, she has also her things to do. Wimbledon around the corner. I mean, I understand how these things are. I'm fully supportive either way, so I have no hard feelings for that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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