Dimitrov admits he was traumatized by Nadal in 2017: "It took me 7 or 8 months to recover from the match against Rafa"

le 30/06/2024 à 08h20

In the run-up to Wimbledon, where he will be one of the main outsiders, Grigor Dimitrov spoke at some length to our New York Times colleagues.

During the interview, the current world number 10 recalled one of the most traumatic defeats of his career: his semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal at the 2017 Australian Open (6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4). The most assiduous followers are bound to remember this magnificent duel.

At the time, the level of play had reached absolutely Dantesque heights, making this match one of the most memorable encounters in Melbourne's recent history. The Bulgarian was finally beaten after 4 hours 58 minutes of battle, but his performance was monumental (20 aces, 80 winners, 66 unforced errors), as was Rafa's (8 aces, 50 winners, 40 unforced errors).

Looking back on this difficult defeat, 'Dimi' admitted that he needed a lot of time to digest: "It took me seven or eight months to recover from the match against Rafa. I felt as if an invisible force had turned the match on its head. I was leading in the fifth set and playing incredibly well.

I felt unplayable. There was no way I was going to lose the match or the tournament and I lost anyway. At times like that, you try to draw on your own experiences and ask yourself questions.

I've always believed in talking to someone, whether it's professionals, family or friends. I think it's a vital thing to do and it has to come from within. Talking is useless if you don't take the first step."

It was a fantastic match and Grigor played extremely good at the time but the force that turned the match was very visual and spelled Nadal. Winning over Rafa in a slam has proven a near impossible task for almost everyone. Rafa has been a slam beast. I cheered for Grigor in that match and still cheer for him but Rafa and big three in general turned out to be a daunting task for him.

I thought Dimitrov had the potential to be a consistent challenge to the top players when he was an 'up and coming' player. At times he played some very high level tennis, but not consistently, not most of the time. Being able to play at a high level consistently is a characteristic of the top players. For whatever luck of temperament one inherits to have the mentality to do that, it was clear Dimitrov, like most, didn't have it. Another characteristic is having the steely nerves to not choke when the pressure is on. To his credit, I thought Dimitrov was going to choke at the end of the 4th set, but he didn't. But he did in the fifth.
Seven or eight months to recover? That says a lot about Dimitrov.

I agree, the fact that he pulled of a five setter shows what level he had at the time, especially considering that Rafa didn't play bad. I don't think that Grigor choked in that match. The match was as even as a match can be but sport is brutal and it can only be one winner. Being a die hard Federer fan I can then say that on a personal level I am so grateful for the outcome of AO 2017 so even though I cheered for Grigor in the semi it was an experience of a lifetime to having witnessed the final between Roger and Rafa, not only was the final of the highest level but it was unbelievable to see Roger turn the tides against his old Nemisis, I think that it was a surrealistic ending of the rivalry but so sweet for all Fed fans.

I remember the 2017 match between Federer and Nadal a little differently. While it was played at a high level for most of the match, Nadal had turned the momentum in his favor and it was looking like he had the match in hand. Then Federer faked injury. Nadal concerned about Federer backed off his game. Then Federer turned it back on and Nadal realized he had been scammed, got angry and lost his game. In my mind Nadal should have won. As huge fan of Federer, it was a big let down to watch him digress to feigning injury when he got desperate because he couldn't break Nadal's momentum with his game. The momentum then shifted back to Federer and he won the match. And as a huge fan of Nadal, it was big let down for him not to compose himself and get back in the match.
But playing mind games has been part of the game probably forever, it just wasn't seen by the top players very often. Unfortunately it's become more common.