“One of the worst things I’ve had to deal with,” – Grigor Dimitrov on comparisons with Roger Federer since his teenage years

Dimitrov and Federer went head-to-head eight times on the ATP tour, with the Swiss maestro winning seven times.

“One of the worst things I’ve had to deal with,” – Grigor Dimitrov on comparisons with Roger Federer since his teenage years

Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov (Image via Imago)

Grigor Dimitrov was dubbed as the next Roger Federer very early in his career owing to his one-handed backhand. Recalling the same, the Bulgarian has stated that such comparisons added undue pressure on him.

Winning the junior titles at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2008 saw him break into the senior circuit later that year. His ATP tour debut happened five years after Federer won his first Grand Slam title at SW19.

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Dimitrov’s one-handed backhand got him a lot of attention and he was named Baby Federer at the tender age of 16. The 33-year-old, however, always found it hard to deal with the comparison. He has yet to win a Grand Slam and has won only 11 career titles. Federer, on the other hand, won 103 titles, including 20 Majors, before his retirement.

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Grigor Dimitrov and Roger Federer (via Imago)

In a recent interview, Dimitrov stated that the comparisons with Federer were one of the most difficult things he had to deal with in his career.

At first I found it was funny and then… I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it because it didn’t make sense. We’re very different and we have some similarities, but we’re not really the same people and I think that wasn’t necessary. It’s probably one of the worst things I’ve had to deal with in my career. I never liked it and it never did anything for me. Of course I’m flattered, but I’ve always wanted to be my own person.

Grigor Dimitrov told The Athletic

Dimitrov faced Federer eight times before the latter’s retirement in 2022. He lost seven times before winning their final career meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open.

Grigor Dimitrov hopes to regain form at Wimbledon

Grigor Dimitrov has failed to have consistent form this season. He began the year by winning the Auckland Open and later reached the finals of Open 13 in February. During the Sunshine Doubles, he reached the final of the Miami Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.

Grigor Dimitrov via Imago

The 33-year-old’s best performance during the clay season came at the French Open, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Sinner once again. He earned his first grass season win at the Queen’s Championship, beating Adrian Mannarino in the opening round. He could not build on that, however, and exited the tournament following defeat to Sebastian Korda in the second round.

Dimitrov will be hoping to regain form at Wimbledon and make a deep run at the tournament. His best performance at the event was a semifinal finish in 2014, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

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