“I’m not ashamed of crying,” Grigor Dimitrov opens up on his emotional breakdown after Paris Masters loss to Novak Djokovic

Playing just his second career Masters final, Dimitrov was overcome by emotions after the loss.

“I’m not ashamed of crying,” Grigor Dimitrov opens up on his emotional breakdown after Paris Masters loss to Novak Djokovic

Grigor Dimitrov(Image via : TennisTV/ 'X')

It was a historic Sunday evening in the city of lights as the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic won a record-extending 7th Paris Masters title at Bercy after breezing past Grigor Dimitrov in the final showdown. The 1st seed defeated the Bulgarian pro 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 38 minutes to lift his 40th Masters title and 97th ATP title. With the win, Djokovic extended his win streak against the new World No.14 to 10, including 3 wins this year.

Playing just his second career Masters final, Dimitrov was overcome by emotions after the loss. The 32-year-old sunk his head into his hands and had to be consoled by Djokovic during the on-court interview. The Bulgarian was chasing his first tour-level title since 2017. This was his second final defeat of the season.

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Speaking about his emotional breakdown in the post-match press conference, Dimitrov said, 

It is difficult to explain emotions. You want the title & it's hard when it doesn't happen. Only I know, without feeling sorry for myself, what I have had to go through in recent months on & off the court. Those are tears of happiness. I don't want to remember them as something negative. After all, I am human.

Acknowledging that heading into the tournament, his goal was not to win the title, Dimitrov shared his despair on getting close to the finishing line in Paris. The Bulgarian further added that he has waited for an ATP title for a long time. 

It was more for the mental & physical side. I'm not ashamed of having cried, it just happened. I'm sad. Of course I'm sad that I lost. It is never fun to lose a final.

Grigor Dimitrov’s 2023 season so far

Dimitrov has had a great season so far, crossing the 40-win mark for the third time in his career. Earlier this year, at the Geneva Open, the Bulgarian reached a tour-level final for the first time since 2018. The 32-year-old returned to the top 20 of ATP rankings after a round of 16 finish at the Wimbledon.

grigor dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov (Image via : Australian Open)

Over the past month, the Bulgarian has shown flashes of his best self. At the Shanghai Masters, he defeated World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16 to reach the quarter-final of a Masters tournament for just the 2nd time in his career. Dimitrov has a decent year win-loss record of 41-21.

On Monday, the 32-year-old will climb 3 places to reach the ATP rankings of World No.14. The Bulgarian has managed 7 wins against top-10 opponents this season.

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