Grigor Dimitrov returns to Laver Cup having won the first point for Team Europe in Chicago with a straight-sets victory over Frances Tiafoe at the United Center. The popular Bulgarian was an enthusiastic team member back in 2018, and is keen to help Europe regain the Laver Cup in Berlin.

How it’s going
While he has never won a Grand Slam – coming through in an era with the Big Four of tennis, namely Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray – 33-year-old Dimitrov has been a consistently top performer with the talent to derail the best players on the planet.

He turned pro at the age of 16 having held the No.1 world ranking as a junior after winning the 2008 Wimbledon and US Open boys’ singles titles. In 2017 he rose to a career-high No.3 and collected four titles, including the year-end ATP Finals and the ATP Masters 1000 at Cincinnati. However, it was not until Brisbane in January that Dimitrov won his ninth singles title to kick off a remarkable season.

After beating Holger Rune for the Brisbane crown, Dimitrov was runner-up at Marseille and the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami, knocking out Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals and Alexander Zverev in the semis – his teammates in Berlin. He was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows, and is on track to qualify for the 2024 ATP Finals.

Destined to play
Likened to Roger Federer earlier in his career on account of his exquisite style and flowing single-handed backhand, Bulgaria’s most successful tennis player is the son of champion volleyball players Maria and Dimitar. His father was a silver medallist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and Dimitrov was introduced to tennis at the age of five.

Patrick Mouratoglou helped shape Dimitrov’s game at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy from 2009, when he was ranked No.487 in the world. Three years later he was No.48 and in 2013 won his first title in Stockholm. Admired for his hard work ethic, Dimitrov describes himself as a creative person with many interests. “I like to create stuff in my downtime off the court,” he said. “If I were to tell you everything I do, you would be like, “Do you really play tennis?”

Staying healthy and meeting the physical demands of competing at the highest level, Dimitrov has taken care to manage his physical conditioning and mental preparation. “I love tennis. But even if I become the greatest of all time, I still don’t only want to be defined by tennis. I’m my own person, and I want to be remembered as I really am,” said Dimitrov, one of the most colorful personalities on the ATP Tour. “I am so much more than tennis.”

Dimitrov and the Laver Cup
Dimitrov took part in Team Europe’s second Laver Cup victory in Chicago, on a roster that included Federer, Djokovic, Zverev, David Goffin and Kyle Edmund. After winning the opening match, he teamed with Goffin in doubles on Saturday, falling to Jack Sock and Nick Kyrgios.

Blending into Borg’s team was effortless for the engaging Dimitrov, who admitted to being “blown away” by spending a week in close proximity with some of the sport’s greatest names. “You see legends on the side,” he said in Chicago. “Borg is like fist pumping me. It’s a great thing. After the first set Roger goes on my right side, ‘alright dude that’s good tennis.’

“That kind of environment, hearing Novak in the background yelling something in Serbian … was a great, great atmosphere. All the boys were phenomenal throughout the match. It was a great support overall.”

Read Grigor Dimitrov’s full Team Europe profile