ROLAND GARROS

October 3, 2020

Grigor Dimotrov

Press Conference

G. DIMITROV/R. Carballes Baena

6-1, 6-3 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you describe your relation with Andre Agassi, how the work is done between Christian and him at different tournaments? Is Andre more for special adviser or something?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well, I don't know. I will try to be as thorough as possible.

Me and Andre, as I said, we've spent a lot of time together, especially off the court when we have the time in the States. There's a lot of other factors that we're both trying to adjust and arrange. We all know we have families that we need to take care of.

Just trying to have the right guidance right now. I mean, obviously we're a bit remote. We have not traveled as much as we wanted I would say in the past month. As I said, we're in a very good contact, which is very important to me right now.

Obviously this year is a little bit different for everyone. I just don't want to disclose more of the personal situations for both guys at the moment. I'm just trying to focus on what I have to do each week, each tournament that I'm playing at and go from there. Just trying to keep things very simple in such tough times.

We all know how it is with how the tournaments have been dealt with. Also for us as players, like to try to adjust with so many variables. The importance of being simple, at least on my end, is on a high note right now. Yeah, there's still some tennis to be played, some tournaments to be played. I'm really focusing on that.

In the end we're going to reassess that as a team, we're going to reassess the year, our goals and things that we want to do, things that we could have done probably better and so on.

Right now it's just the current situation that we're all at. I'm sure also as the time goes by we're going to progress forward and make new decisions, a new plan as well.

Q. A question you were asked after your last match got me to thinking, what do you get from these post-match news conferences? What is their value to you? How do you feel, does it change the dynamic at all when they're done virtually as opposed to us all being in the room?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well, yeah. I mean, I miss you guys (smiling). It's obviously a very strange situation right now. I mean, again, without the fans, without the press, without everything that is surrounding us, it's not the same. I mean, clear as that.

I think as the days are rolling by, as the weeks are getting deeper and deeper, so to speak, we're in the second week, there's hardly anyone in the locker room or out in the players restaurant or on the grounds. Yeah, it's very strange. It's an anomaly for everyone.

You kind of feel the vibes. You feed off that a lot. That's why right now it's such a different circumstances. For me personally, that's why it's so interesting how we're all dealing with those special sort of moments and circumstances. Just simple as that.

I mean, I love actually giving press conferences or whatever insight I can give. It's not only for me, not only for the audience, but also for the fans. One of the things our sport needs a lot more, I would say, is just to get closer to the fans. Without them we're probably not going to be the same as we are. The support of, I mean, our families, yeah, the fans, everyone around.

You need to also have your critics, as well. You feed off that. I don't read much, but I feed off that sometimes. It's great to hear things. I've always been a fan of constructive criticism. That's the diversity that is missing right now.

Q. We know tennis can be a difficult game sometimes. When a player is struggling on the court, sometimes it's a technical or a physical issue. Sometimes it's the pressure of the situation. You had a problem in the last round with your track suit bottoms. You couldn't get them off. I think it took you longer to do that than it did to win the match. What was going on there? Was it a technical issue?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I don't know.

Q. Did you do any work between the rounds to make sure it didn't happen again? I timed it today, and you managed to do that in 15 seconds.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, I was very focused on that. I was very focused on that today. I was very, very focused to take my pants on time (laughter). That came off wrong (smiling).

I think the previous match I didn't unzip right. Yeah, I got caught up in the moment. You see the time is kind of ticking. There was so much to think. You want to get your racquet out, get the strings, I mean, figure out where you're going to put your wristband, so on.

Today was better. I think I was more prepared for taking my pants off.

Q. It is your first time at this stage at Roland Garros. What does it mean to you? How can you explain why this year?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I wish I could explain why this year. Exactly, yeah, I agree with you. It would have been nice to do it in front of an audience, yeah.

I mean, special? Yeah, I think every time you get into the second week of a slam, it's special, regardless of the tournament you're playing. I mean, I grew up on clay, so it's nice to stem that sort of feeling that I've always liked.

At times I've had such an unfortunate rounds to play out here, to be completely honest. I'm not the one to make excuses, but I've always had players that were just getting the best out of me. Especially in the third rounds. To be honest, I don't know how many times I've been in the third round here.

This year I just took it as every other year. Whether it's, I don't know, expectations or whether it's I wanted to do better, prove something to myself, I cannot answer this right now because I'm still in the tournament.

I appreciate the moment. I appreciate the stage that I'm at. All I'm doing right now is just being consistent. Everything is in place. My shots are there, my serve is there. Yeah, I'm just going in the moment, trying to stay within myself, going one day at a time.

Q. You mentioned you really enjoy the atmosphere from the fans. When you stepped onto the court in the last week, have you had to change your mentality and find a different way to get your motivation and enjoy the experience because you know it's different?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I mean, as I said, of course. When you have fans, you feel the energy a little bit more. I think maybe if you feel a little bit down or tired or something, this feeds you off, you go off of that.

That's why I said it's very important to stay within yourself and find the right reasons to do the things. I mean, you can easily say, Okay, I'm not going to play this tournament, doesn't really matter now, this and that, I can just stay home.

I have my reasons to compete right now. I'm doing it entirely for myself, the things that I want to try, the things that I want to do, the things that I want to improve.

I think everything else, it doesn't really matter. I'm not even trying to focus on the things that we don't have right now. I'm focusing on the things that we do get. We get still a lot. I mean, I get a lot from the tournaments that we're having right now.

Yes, is it difficult? Absolutely. Do you have to do the constant tests, being more on a rigorous schedule, just being courts, hotel, hotel, courts? Yes, you have to. I like those kind of conditions because it really puts you up against yourself. I mean, what better way to get to know yourself even better?

Q. What about you and Tsitsipas? You're going to play in the next match. We haven't been talking about that. What do you expect? How do you know him inside the court and off?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I don't know much about him, to be honest, outside the court. I've clearly watched him play a lot of matches. Yeah, he's been having very, very good results, playing good tennis on any surface.

Yeah, I mean, I'm excited first of all to be in the second week of that tournament. It's a great feeling. I want to hold onto it and kind of focus on my side of the net.

I don't know, I've never played against him an official match. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the match. I'm very pleased at where my game is right now. My body as well. So, yeah, one-handers, of course. We go from there.