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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2016

Grigor Dimitrov

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

G. DIMITROV/M. Trungelliti

6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Could you tell us what happened in that second set?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah. He played well. I know the feeling when you don't feel no pressure and you're just coming out on the court to sort of enjoy and you start swinging a few shots here and there. Next thing you know, you find yourself with quite a few breakpoints down, finding yourself in a defense mode for a little bit.

Yeah, that was that. Nothing. I wasn't really worried. It was just I had to play an extra set.

Q. Now Roger next round.
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah. I mean, I just played him a couple weeks ago. Obviously it's not an easy match. But I felt that I've been playing good. I have quite a few matches behind my back already.

I mean, it's exciting match for me, you know, to be able to get to the third round and play against him. You know, it's a good start.

I'm out here to perform the best way I can, and hopefully, you know, I can play better tennis and sort of play better I think than Brisbane and maybe do couple of things different that I thought I could have done back then.

I think that's that about it, you know.

Q. How about the Brisbane match? Do you have the impression he wasn't 100% fit and there was something wrong with his game?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think even if there's something with him, he always plays well. I mean, he never shows the opponents that he's down or anything like that. I also felt that I had my chance, I think, even after winning that second set.

But we all know how he plays. Tremendous competitor, all that. So, I mean, it's a match that I want to play. You know, I definitely want to get out there on the court and sort of have a rematch - with a different outcome, I hope.

Q. You played a few matches in 2016. How do you compare your game this year as opposed to the last few months of 2015?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, last few months of '15 were actually not that bad. Overall I think I played good in Basel and Paris. I end up I thought in a good style. I was playing a good tennis. I didn't have that much time to rest after the last tournaments. I just started working right away. That was important to me, to just have a good off-season, then come off to '16 fresh and ready to play, have extra matches under my belt.

So far, you know, it's been good feedback, I've been winning quite a few matches, gaining confidence. I think that's important early on in the year.

Q. Have you set any goals for yourself for the whole year?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: I always have goals to play good at every tournament. I want to be 100% and give 100% from myself and be the best that I can be out there.

I think with each tournament, you never know how it's going to happen, you know. You never know, one tournament can change everything for you. You never know when that tournament might be.

Q. You always had tremendous groundstrokes, one of the most fit guys on the tour. When you started working with Franco, which part of your game did you decide to work more on, more mental or more power?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think it's a combined work for us. I think I mentioned early on that Franco has a different approach towards the work, sort of tennis and our working ethic is a little different than what I've done before.

But I think we've worked a lot obviously on the serve and return. I mean, those are pretty much one of the most important elements in tennis, you know. Just small things. You know, like now, I mean, I can hit the ball well enough. It's not so much of getting, you know, like forehand and backhand in, but to spice it up, the game, to sort of put the salt and pepper in the end, just the details that are very important to me.

And, yeah, I mean, and simplify in the same time, simplify everything around us, so...

Q. That match point in Sydney, did you digest it? How is it working now?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: It's tough. I didn't have much time to think about it, considering I came to Melbourne the following day and I had to play on Monday. I didn't sleep that night, that's for sure, I can tell you that much. I mean, I should have gone cross. I still think I should have gone cross.

After I believe it was over 20 shots rally, you know, I actually thought I could just, you know, sort of chip it in down the line, then be there at the net. But I guess the luck was on the other side this time.

Yeah, I take it as it is. There's nothing else I can do about that.

Q. It hurts more or less than one of those set points in the semis against Novak in Wimbledon?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: What happened there? I forget.

Q. Three set points.
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, I remember that. That's true, yeah. Just open another wound (smiling).

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