Grigor Dimitrov Has ‘No Expectations for Wimbledon’ After Being Awarded Wild Card into Main Draw

The Wimbledon Championships are around the corner, and the tournament has already announced the wild cards for the main draw. Grigor Dimitrov, ranked 169th, has received one. The Bulgarian ace has so far made three Grand Slam semifinals, one of which was at Wimbledon back in 2014. But since then, he has never made it past the fourth round.

Last year as well, he made the fourth round. During the match, he was two sets to love up against Jannik Sinner. And while serving, he injured his right pectoral muscle and collapsed on the court in agony, leaving the Centre Court in tears.

But Dimitrov has returned to the tour, and though he has received the wild card for Wimbledon, he has no expectations for the tournament. Returning to Wimbledon won’t bring back the bad memories, as Dimitrov said, whatever happened in the past will stay there.

Honestly, I’m very grateful. That’s all. What happened in the past is in the past; I’m not thinking about looking back at all. I really appreciate Wimbledon giving me this invitation; it means a lot, and it’s an honor.

Grigor Dimitrov told Punto de Break

Dimitrov, a one-time French Open quarterfinalist, couldn’t qualify for the main draw this time. He lost his first match in the qualifying round to Jaime Faria.

It’s an honor to be at Wimbledon; imagine doing it from the main draw. Right now, I’m here. I’m focused on everything I have to do, and I’m really looking forward to competing. That’s it. I have no expectations for Wimbledon.

Grigor Dimitrov added

After the French Open, Dimitrov played a Challenger tournament in Dublin, where third seed Kyrian Jacquet defeated him in the quarterfinals. The last time the former World No.3 won a tour-level match was in the first round of this year’s Indian Wells Masters.

Grigor Dimitrov on his current ranking

Grigor Dimitrov, it seems, is pretty angry about the ATP ranking system. During his interview with Punto de Break, Dimitrov said talking about the ranking is pointless.

If you think about it, I feel like I haven’t had a season as such. Let’s call things by their name. I’ve played around 12 matches this year and lost like 10. For me, that’s not a season. It also doesn’t make sense to talk about the ranking. The way our ranking is structured is so unfair that talking about it is pointless. There are simple things: if you win, you have a high ranking. You lose, and you drop in the ranking. There are no secrets. This sport doesn’t give you the chance to take shortcuts: we are in a ruthless business.

Apart from the Indian Wells Masters, the only other time Dimitrov won a match was at the Brisbane International in January.

Before the Dublin Challenger, Dimitrov had also featured in the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole Challenger and the Bordeaux Challenger. He lost both tournaments in the opening round. The last time Dimitrov reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal was at the 2024 US Open. He gave the walkover to home favorite Frances Tiafoe.

At Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner will be competing as the defending champion. After surviving the scare against Dimitrov, he beat Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, and Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion, winner at SW19 in 2023 and 2024 (beat Djokovic both times), will skip the tournament this season because of a wrist injury. He also did not participate at the French Open, where he was the two-time defending champion.

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