MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

August 1, 2023

Grigor Dimitrov

Press Conference

G. DIMITROV/M. McDonald

7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Grigor. How do you feel about your performance today against Mackie? First set was a bit tough but second set you were doing great.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, I think every match is very difficult, especially when you change surfaces and you start a new swing.

Very tricky opponent today, so yeah, very happy the way I performed. I think that was a good match for me. Still a few things to clear up in my game, but other than that, I feel in a good spot. Yeah, little by little, I hope I'm getting better.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you're making the transition from Europe to the States, and especially coming to D.C. with the heat and the humidity, and East Coast, do you do anything different training-wise to prepare for this part of the season?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well, yes and no. But at home it was warmer than here, so I think that was a good start for me.

You know, I like those conditions a lot, so what I try to do is stay hydrated I think a little bit extra, but other than that, I feel like I have quite a bit of experience in those type of conditions. I mean, obviously you cannot control that, but you try to make the most out of it and, I mean, pace yourself as much as you can.

It's not just a couple of weeks out here. You're going to be here for hopefully six, seven weeks, plus the Open. It really adds up to the body. So you have to make sure that you do the right things to look after the body and practice the right amount.

Q. Did you watch the Wimbledon final either live or on tape? If you did, what did you think of it?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I watched not the first couple of sets, I think, after. What can I say? Me, as a player, I saw things a little bit early on. I felt that, I mean, even after I saw the score in the first set, I just felt like, you know, Alcaraz was on it.

I mean, for me, it's very interesting to watch a match from that caliber to kind of see what both of the players are doing on the big points. For me, I was the most curious in that.

So to give all the credit clearly to Alcaraz to come up with such big plays and such big points from such an importance, I think that was pretty amazing to see.

And of course, last but not least, Novak has been able to get to the final again right after another one, it's pretty spectacular. Yeah, it will be interesting to see how all of that is going to unfold now.

Q. Did the final result surprise you?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Not really, in a sense that, I mean, I have played Carlos two or three times already. In a way, I knew what he's going to do. You know, he doesn't pull back in important points. In important moments he plays his game, and that type of play gets rewarded more than not.

I think, as I said, the big points, like the pivotal points throughout the match, I think he played them absolutely amazing.

Q. Adding on to that, Carlos, at Queen's Club, he said he wasn't really sure how he was going to play on the grass, and then a couple of weeks later he wins Wimbledon. Could you see the development of him playing on grass? Because a lot of players, it takes them a long time to adjust to that surface, but he did it so quickly.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think it's different now for a lot of players. I don't think overall players are struggling to play on any surface. I mean, players are faster, better, stronger overall. Everybody is adapting better to any type of situation.

Yeah, I remember back in the days when I was switching from surface to surface, was not a problem, even for me at the time, so then all of a sudden you see players like him and a bunch of other ones, they're just adapting just as good.

Of course there is room to be improved, but, I mean, I don't see something that stands out, like, that bad, I think.