MELBOURNE SUMMER SET

January 6, 2022

Grigor Dimitrov

Press Conference

G. DIMITROV/F. Bagnis

5-7, 7-6, 6-3

Q. It was a very close match out there this afternoon. How are you feeling? Are you happy to get the win?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it was very close, very, very close. He was serving for the match. I definitely struggled a little bit at the beginning, couldn't find like a good rhythm, and I think a good distance between me and the balls.

Yeah, it started raining a little bit, which they had to close the roof, and I think that sort of gave me a little bit of an advantage, and I think after that -- even after that first set, I progressively started feeling a little bit better, but I was still not able to execute the way I wanted to.

But after the tiebreak in the second set I think I loosened up a little bit, started taking better decisions, and I was moving around the court better, which is a key for me.

Q. What does getting a win like that, breaking to stay in the match kind of win, do for your confidence to get that under your belt this early in the season?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: It's important. I really think it's important. I mean, I felt good like throughout all the days of practice, but I've been practicing for quite some time already, and it's not the same as the match play. I always like -- I always lower my expectations early on in the year in the sense that it's just kind of good to see where you're at, of course physically, and I think mentally, as well.

But I think the one other part that I really don't want to forget is my shot section, the way I am hitting the ball, the way I feel the ball I think is very important, and after those three big components, then you kind of know where you're at and what needs to be done, what else you need to practice on, and of course that gives you a certain amount of confidence. It's still the first match, but very important one. Very, very important one.

Q. How was your practice in your off-season and everything this year? You've been a pretty good starter in the beginnings of the season generally.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I have. But I haven't done anything too different from all the other off-seasons. I mean, I really enjoyed this off-season. I'm not going to lie. 13th off-season and I'm still enjoying that; that's a good sign.

All I'm trying to do is stay positive and keep my body on the right track. I think that's the main goal. Of course I had to change the way I'm practicing a little bit. I cannot practice like really every, every day just to save up the body and all the beating, and I clearly had to alter a lot of different things.

But at the same time I've done a lot of fun stuff in the off-season, which were combined with fitness, and I think that gives me a lot of pleasure. I think once you have pleasure you don't feel the work, the burning legs, the side to side drills or climbing a mountain. It was really very -- how can I say? I had a great time. That's it.

Q. You consistently have good results in Australia. How are your preparations, and what are your expectations for this Australian summer?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: No expectations really. I always come into those kind of tournaments in a sense with no expectations. I don't want to expect that, but I expect to do a hundred percent of myself. That's what I expect. I think the rest I cannot control. I'm really going to focus on my side of the net, and I'll focus on what I can control, really.

I think that has proven to be a very good sort of formula for me, especially -- I mean, not only in this event, I think in any event that I've played. Now it's just, again, still the beginning of the year, but of course I want to do well. That's what I've worked for. But at the same time I'm really focusing on myself and on the things that I feel like I can improve at the moment.

Q. I've got to ask about the whole Novak situation. What are your thoughts on how that's unfolding?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: If I can be completely honest with you and everybody, I have no clue what's been happening, other than this morning I just saw on the news -- I've played for five and a half hours plus the doubles today, so I've been on the court the whole time. I don't know what's the latest. I don't know, man. I really don't know. I hope things are handled the best way possible I think on both parties. Everybody is a professional out there. They know what to do.

Yeah, I guess we'll wait and see, I guess. I really don't know what's the latest. I literally just came out of the doubles match.