Grigor Dimitrov makes sad admission about Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem’s retirements as he misses ‘healthy’ competition

Grigor Dimitrov said he had a lot of fun with Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem off the court and lauded them for pushing him to play better.

Grigor Dimitrov makes sad admission about Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem’s retirements as he misses ‘healthy’ competition

Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov, Rafael Nadal (Images via X)

Grigor Dimitrov will no longer be expecting a clash with Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem. While Thiem, after his first-round loss against Luciano Darderi at the Vienna Open, hung up his racket, Nadal on October 10th announced his retirement and revealed that the Davis Cup in Malaga next month will be his final tournament.

Grigor had met Thiem seven times and led 4-3 in their head-to-head meeting. Against Nadal however, he won just one match (in the 2016 China Open) in their 15 encounters. Ahead of the Paris Masters, he reflected on the retirements of his two opponents and said he missed the ‘healthy’ competitions.

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Of course, everything has a beginning and an end, but when you see the competition you grew up with, when you see these guys pushing you to be better, it takes a little bit of energy away from you. Of course, I respect the new generation and everyone who plays there, but before, it was a lot of fun off the field. We always made fun of each other, but now I don’t see it anymore.

Grigor Dimitrov told Eurosport

Both Nadal and Thiem had to make this tough decision about their respective careers due to injuries. While Nadal has been battling one injury after the other since turning pro about two decades ago, Thiem suffered a wrist injury following his 2020 US Open win.

The injury hindered him from giving his best and, as a consequence, he decided to retire at the age of just 31. Apart from the US Open win, the Austrian also made it to three Grand Slam finals (twice at the French Open and once at the Australian Open).

Nadal recently contested in the Six Kings Slam exhibition event where he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. For the third-place match, the 38-year-old locked horns with longtime rival Novak Djokovic for one last time.

Grigor Dimitrov won’t be calling time on his career in the near future

Grigor Dimitrov hasn’t yet reached a Grand Slam final though he made it to multiple semifinals except for the French Open, where he played quarterfinals this season. Dimitrov is 33 years old and hasn’t yet planned to retire as he wants to remain a top player and is hoping to win his first Grand Slam title.

Grigor Dimitrov Laver Cup
Grigor Dimitrov (via X)

I know everyone’s time is going to come up, and I’m not that close to the end, but I’m closer than a lot of the players. However, I’m still a contender, I’m still playing, and I’m going to keep on fighting to the end to stay at the top.

Grigor Dimitrov told Eurosport 

Dimitrov, who is 44-17 on the season, will bid for his second title at the Paris Masters. Although he advanced to multiple finals, the Brisbane International is the only title won so far this season.

The eighth seed at the Paris Masters will be squaring off against Tomas Martin Etcheverry on October 29th. Before the Paris Masters, the Bulgarian was defeated by Tomas Machac in the fourth round of the Vienna Open.