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SONY ERICSSON OPENMarch 25, 2012Grigor DimitrovMIAMI, FLORIDA G. DIMITROV/T. Berdych THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. It's your first win over a top 10 opponent. Talk about your feelings breaking over that threshold. GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well, I mean, definitely today was a great match, a great day for me. I didn't expect to play that well. I mean, I was a little tired. And especially playing against Tomas, it's always a pleasure to play against him. I think he's an amazing competitor, a good player as well, and good person off the court. So I really have a lot of respect for him. It's always nice to have battles with him and all that. On the other side, I played very well. I didn't make enough first serves, though. I had a couple of things that I knew if they were not going in the right way I would have lost the match. Got a bit lucky at 4‑All in the third, and, yeah, I was happy to close the match. Q. What was the key for you today to win? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well, I mean, definitely winning in the first set was very important. I was pretty often down on break points and stuff. I was really happy to get back and try to find my game again. Yeah, he made also a few errors that cost him a little, and, you know, I got there in the right spot and the right time. So after that it was all about how I'm gonna get ready for the third set and all that. I didn't feel too well, but, you know, just fighting all the way and hope that he's gonna crack somewhere. That's what happened. Q. Will you do anything special to celebrate your first top 10 win? GRIGOR DIMITROV: I don't know yet. I mean, I haven't‑‑ I'm starving, by the way, right now. (Smiling.) No, I haven't thought of anything so far. Q. Could you give us an idea of how difficult it is playing the senior tour as opposed to the junior tour and making, you know, back‑to‑back wins? Because you can have a good result and then you have got to be able to rebound the next day and do it all over again. GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, I mean, it's always tough. I remember myself playing juniors and then coming up to these guys and thought it was going to be a walk in the park. But obviously it's not. Actually I'm pretty happy that I've got so far. It's one of the first tournaments that I'm pretty consistent on my practice days, on my matches, and on the way I handle myself during the days and the way that I find myself to manage everything. So I'm pretty happy with that. But I think it's very tough to hang. Nowadays I think the tennis is getting really competitive and a lot of‑‑ you know, it's like a physical sport, as well, so you've got to be on top every time. Of course you have your bad days, and you try to escape a little from them. But, I mean, there's no such thing as, Oh, I had a bad day today. That's why I lost, you know. Q. Has your new coach have an influence on that win? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I'm working with Patrick Mouratoglou since, I mean, quite a long time. It's actually our first tournament that we started traveling together. I mean, so far it's been amazing, you know. We have good relation, which is the most important, and we practice the right things. Feel good on court, and I think that's what any player wants. You know, just to be happy and work the way that you think is good and of course the way that your coach is telling you to. Q. You had a very serious training during Christmas. Seems like everything's coming together now, right? How much has to do with this kind of training and start the year and do well? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well, I mean, I think the preparation was one of the best I did so far as I was officially playing on the tour. I think it was amazing. Everyone was there. We had a just an amazing time also, you know. It's not only about the preparation. So, yeah, I mean, definitely I think it paid off a lot. I was expecting also to play maybe a little better at the earlier‑‑ beginning of the year, but obviously it wasn't the right time for me to, you know, to sink in my way. You know, I felt pretty comfortable by building up all that. Of course that encouraged me to practice more and get ready for the next tournament and see how I would play the different surface, indoors or outdoors. And plus, I really‑‑ and this tournament in particular brings a lot of good memories in me. When I was juniors I played it so many times, so it's always happy to come back and experience that but at the higher league. Q. Looking ahead to the next match against Tipsarevic, what do you feel about that? GRIGOR DIMITROV: I played Janko a couple of times. I think it's a fair match. I don't think there is so much to say about it. Q. Is there another top 10 win coming up with him, do you think? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well, hopefully. I would hope for that, of course (smiling). Yeah, I hope I'm gonna play a good match and I'm gonna just be ready, you know, just be ready physically. Then I'm gonna feel mentally, as well, on the right state of mind, and, you know, play well. This is all I'm asking right now. Q. We saw Serena up there rooting for you right now. Can you talk about that friendship a little bit? GRIGOR DIMITROV: What do you want to know? No, I'm kidding. No, she's a good friend of mine. She came after in the locker room‑‑ not in the locker room, the fitness room to congratulate me. It was very nice of her, yeah. Q. Just getting an insight into what you expect of yourself and what you feel you need to improve the most ‑ because anybody watching you thinks this guy's got all the shots ‑ what do you think separates you from where you are now outside the top 100 and where you want to be? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Like 2,000 points. Q. What do you need to do with your game or your approach? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, well, that's a good question indeed. Well, definitely I got‑‑ I feel like I've got to practice, you know, a bit more, be more consistent as well on each day, and do the things even better in terms of, you know, everything in a proper way, to be, you know, as professional as it can be. You know, you go on court, you know that you've got to do your two hours of practice. You know, you got to do like hour in the gym, hour and a half in the gym after. You have to do certain things that are kind of mandatory for the day. Of course, being consistent on the matches. That's one of the things that, I mean, every player wants and every player strive to get it. I mean, it's not easy, of course. But I think you've got to stay on the‑‑ I think, you've got to stay on the right track no matter what, you know, no matter how you feel and, you know, in terms of who you're playing and all that. I personally think if you develop your game the way you want, I mean, you can‑‑ even if it doesn't work in the moment, you can succeed with the time and just with the things being consistent. In terms of shots and all that, I mean, I think everyone nowadays has a shot, so it's not like something hidden, you know. But of course you've got to practice. You've got to make certain things, certain situations. You know, sometimes hope for the best during the match, yeah. Q. The Australian Open it was very hard for Patrick because he had you and Jeremy Chardy playing. It was a spectacular match, so tough. How tough was it for you to play a friend and somebody... GRIGOR DIMITROV: It's always tough, especially to play against Jeremy. He's a good friend of mine. We practice together in Mauritius. We're together in the academy. We live next door to each other. It's kind of funny, but of course it's never pleasant, no. We both know that. When the draw came out, we, you know, had dinner the night before the match together. Yeah, you know, I think you have to pass through that period. But it's, yeah, tough for us. Q. Do you think maybe a lack of motivation in the past has caused you not to realize your potential? Is this the kind of win you need to get motivated to get to the next level? GRIGOR DIMITROV: Well‑‑ nah. I'm always motivated to do something better and to improve certain areas in my game or, you know, outside the court or anything that it's related to tennis. I think you never know when you're, you know, when you're luck and when your inner voice will come up during the tournament. All of a sudden you can start winning one, two, three, four matches in the tournament, and all of a sudden you can win the tournament. That turnaround completely changes everything around you, and, you know, one day to the next, all of a sudden you're like top 20. Then you're like, Oh, my God, I can do it. Next day you come back even stronger and better minded. You know, everything kind of develops, and all of a sudden you become like who you really are. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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