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After Victory, Dimitrov Dishes High Praise for Rafael Nadal



Grigor Dimitrov ended a seven-match losing streak against Rafael Nadal, finally notching a victory against the 14-time major champion, 6-2, 6-4. A thrilled Dimitrov tells an on-court interviewer how important it was for him to earn a win against a player that he considers to be one of the best fighters of all time.

More: Dimitrov Hands Nadal Straight-Sets Defeat in Beijing

“I’m just very happy,” he said. “I finally have that win over Rafa. He’s been one of my biggest inspirations throughout the years, and every time I play against him I feel like I can pick something—even from today’s match—he’s one of the greatest competitors, I have tons of respect for him.”

Dimitrov said he got a did a good job of reading Nadal’s serve over the course of their 93-minute tussle, in which he broke the Spaniard five times on 15 opportunies. “I was able to keep a great focus, I was happy with my fitness as well,” he said. “I was reading his serve pretty well today… I was hitting my shots when I had to… there were a lot of positive things that I did good today.”

In press, Dimitrov further elaborated on his respect for Nadal:

I use him even sometimes as an inspiration when I'm down in a match or something. He's one of the biggest fighters for me by far. Honestly, there's nothing else you can say about Rafa. He has proven himself so many times.


Dimitrov moves on to face Milos Raonic in Saturday’s semifinals in Beijing. The Bulgarian has taken the last two meetings from the Canadian but they have not met since the 2014 Australian Open.

Saturday’s other semifinal in Beijing will feature top-seeded Andy Murray vs. No.5-seeded David Ferrer.

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