“The feeling is simply stunning,” Weeks after Stefanos Tsitsipas drops out of top 10 rankings, Grigor Dimitrov gushes about the power of one-handed backhand
Grigor Dimitrov has had a promising 2024 so far.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov (via IMAGO)
Grigor Dimitrov has given a visual explanation of how stunning a one-handed backhand shot feels. The Bulgarian is doing his part to get back into the Top 10, following Stefanos Tsitsipas’s drop after a five-year stint as the only one-handed player in the elite group.
In February, ATP rankings were without a one-hander in the Top 10 since its inception in 1973. Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was the only surviving one-handed player dropped from the elite group after a series of disappointing losses at the start of the year.
However, Grigor Dimitrov who has consistently hovered around 25 and 30 for the past two years took a great shot upwards before the end of 2023. With the same intensity, Dimitrov entered the year winning the Brisbane International which saw him go into the Indian Wells Tournament as No.13 with an improved 14-3 win-loss record.
Following his 7-5, 6-2 win over Alexandre Muller in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open, the 32-year-old explained how exciting it is to be a one-handed player. Dimitrov said after the game:
I love to see more people with one hand. Just how it is for me to be able to hit a backhand with one hand and I mean it's just a pure beauty. I think anytime you try to hit that shot and you make it, the feeling is, I mean simply stunning for me. It's always going to be a part of me regardless of my on that end. I think the beauty of the one hand is just there's so much to it to hit the ball right with one hand. It starts with the timing, looking at the ball, the swing, the height.Grigor Dimitrov said
Dimitrov’s fellow one-handed player Stefanos Tsitsipas is at No.11 on the ATP rankings, with a good run at Indian Wells, the Greek may climb back to Top-10. But that will be hard for Dimitrov who needs 340 points to climb into the elite group.
Grigor Dimitrov in viable position for Top 10
Grigor Dimitrov is in a viable position to rejoin the top 10 for the first time since falling out over five years ago. In January, the Bulgarian defeated Holger Rune to win the Brisbane International title and ended his six-plus-year title drought.
Despite a surprising third-round exit at the Australian Open, the 32-year-old regrouped in Marseille to finish as runners-up and reached the semi-finals in the indoor event in Rotterdam. With 45 points to defend across Indian Wells and Miami, if the Bulgarian keeps winning he might climb to 11th position before April.
He will now face Adrian Mannarino in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Dimitrov is expected to win as he has won all four of their meetings.
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Gerard Crispin
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