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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2019

Grigor Dimitrov

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

F. TIAFOE/G. Dimitrov

7-5, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel about that match?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: The result is obvious. It's strange. Strange, for sure. I don't know. I'm a bit lost for words right now coming right after the match.

I mean, all credit to him. Fought well, played well. Went for his shots, lived a bit on the edge with a lot of games. Just took advantage of that situation.

Q. You are close friends, had a nice embrace at the end. What did you say to him?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: I mean, I'm a man of honor. When somebody beats me, it is the way it is. I mean, also it's his first time. Just needs to appreciate it, you know, move on. That's just how it is.

Every tournament, we're all coming after. That's just the way it is. Just wished him best of luck, for sure, keep on going the same way.

Q. I know you just walked off the court, but are you able to think about any of the positive things?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think it's a little bit early to think about it. I mean, I think first I need to reassess that match just because, I mean, I know I haven't competed much in the past month. That was, for sure, lack of certain moments today that I just wasn't able to convert or play well for that matter.

I'm kind of focusing on the negatives right now more than the positives. But hopefully after a couple of days, I can just think maybe what I did right, what I did wrong, what was good, what was bad. Obviously right now it's a very strange feeling.

I mean, I've had matches in the past that have been up and down. I wasn't able to kind of convert things around. Today was just very, I think, strange. It's like almost one of the first matches, strange to the extent that I wasn't able to just go through those little tricky moments.

Yeah, it is what it is right now.

Q. Did you get a chance to speak to your coaches at all?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, I saw them. I mean, honestly, there's not much to say right now. You've worked so hard this off-season to put yourself in such a position. It's painful. I think a couple days off is obviously necessary. Then go back to talk about the fundamentals.

Q. Points you had in the second set breaker, when you think back to that moment, any particular point that sticks out in your head?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, there were quite a few balls. I mean, I think on quite a few occasions I know what I did wrong. I just wasn't able to execute some shots that I really needed to. Especially in that tiebreak, I mean, as much as I was playing, like, better and better, he just kept coming back with some good answers, quite a few let calls, a few lines. Everything was kind of going on his end.

I can fight so much and control what I can fight with. But, I mean, with quite a few let calls at tough moments, quite a few lines, those things are out of my reach. I fought to the extent that I thought I could. Yeah, on certain moments, I could definitely have hit a better shot.

It is how the game goes sometimes.

Q. He seems to be a popular guy in the locker room. Talk about how he is, how do you feel he's progressing?
GRIGOR DIMITROV: It's great. It's great. It's so nice to see somebody new, somebody fresh. I mean, everybody in the locker room likes him, everybody is laughing. I mean, obviously he's great as a team player. He's going to be amazing.

He can only get better from now on, for sure, for him. It's just a long way to go. I mean, as I said, I know how is it to break grounds on those first tournaments, especially a slam and all that. He really needs to just stay calm and make sure he follows the right path. That's pretty much the only advice I can give him on that end. Obviously he's done something well so far. He's progressing, playing better. Those things are already adding up.

I mean, one thing is to do well at one tournament, but another thing to do it progressively.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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