The men’s ATP-250 tournament in Stockholm has just finished. In the final, Tommy Paul from the United States defeated the experienced Grigor Dimitrov in two sets 6:4, 6:3. There, in the capital of Sweden, the 33-year-old Bulgarian tennis player raised at a press conference a topic of utmost importance in the world of modern sports: the influence of the psychological state on the careers of athletes.
Why is Dimitrov called a heartbreaker?
Former world number three and Grand Slam semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov is known for his colorful romances and is rightly considered one of the top playboys in the tennis world. During his stay on the tour, the Bulgarian managed to conquer the hearts of many women and his name appeared from time to time in the headlines of various tabloid newspapers.
In addition, the list of his former classmates includes completely different girls. Thus, the iconic Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and the American singer Nicole Scherzinger once fought for Dimitrov’s heart. Agree, not everyone can boast such a brilliant romantic life story!
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Long-time friends, such as Russian Andrei Rublev, also note the player’s special charm. “If I were a girl, I would be completely in love with Grigor. No, even as a man I am in love with him,” Andrei joked after an exhibition match against Dimitrov in September 2023.
Grigor Dimitrov on vacation
Photo: From the tennis player’s personal archive.
Mental health problems
But it turned out that, in reality, not everything is so rosy. Like everyone else, Grigor faces many challenges that concern not only his personal life, but also his career. Numerous injuries, loss of motivation and, at times, the less than adequate attitude of the fans are only a small part of what accompanied and continues to accompany his professional career. During a conversation with journalists at a tournament in Stockholm, Grigor confirmed this idea, paying special attention to psychological health problems. Grigor’s words were quoted by the Danish sports media SpilXperten:
“I’d be lying if I said I’d never had anything like this. I have had some episodes of anxiety, panic attacks, even during a tennis match. It always helps to be able to talk and share with people, even if it’s another player. I think we should be more open with each other. I know it’s difficult, it’s a very individual and quite brutal sport. But at the end of the day, we are all human and no different from anyone else; We just happen to be good at tennis, that’s all.
Little by little, many athletes around the world are starting to share their opinions, which is great to see. In particular, I’ve seen some NBA players talk openly about mental health. We don’t touch on this topic often enough. Men in general rarely talk about this, but they should. This is not a weakness, in my opinion, quite the opposite. Showing your vulnerability is definitely a great strength. As a man I am very proud of this.”
Grigor Dimitrov at a press conference
Photo: Maja Hitij/Getty Images
Successful 2017
The 2017 season turned out to be a real triumph for Dimitrov. Already in January he won the first of four titles that year in Brisbane at the ATP-250 tournament. This was immediately followed by the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where Grigor lost to Spaniard Rafael Nadal in an intense five-set match 3:6, 7:5, 6:7, 7:6, 4:6. . However, this defeat did not faze the Bulgarian; On the contrary, in February he won the title at the ATP-250 tournament in Sofia.
After a slight decline in the clay and grass sections, he returned to form: in August he conquered the thousand-meter summit in Cincinnati. In the final, Dimitrov beat Australian Nick Kyrgios 6:3, 7:5.
Dimitrov continued his good form during the Asian series and qualified for the final in London for the first time in his career. Few fans bet on him, but the Bulgarian did not flinch. Grigor won all three group stage matches, after which he beat semi-finalist Jack Sock of the United States with the shuttlecock, and in the final he faced Belgian David Goffin.
Despite this, along with the tennis player’s impressive results, great expectations arose from the public, which subsequently affected his performances. Grigor also spoke to journalists about the ambiguity of this period:
“I went through very important and decisive moments in my life. If I sit here and tell you what I overcame, you’ll say, “And you still played? Wow, did you go through that or how did you do it? Everyone has their own path. You need to listen to yourself, because it is important.
Of course, tennis is also incredibly important, but with years and experience, not only on the court, but also off it, you begin to understand its full meaning. It seems like we look at it from the outside, but the most important work is done from within. And I not only try to do it, but at least pay a lot of attention to it, but I still have difficulties,” Dimitrov admits.
Grigor Dimitrov at the final tournament – 2017
Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Subsequent failure
The Bulgarian finished the 2017 season in third place in the ATP rankings, which is currently the best achievement of his career. However, after this there was a sharp setback. During 2018, Grigor only won three matches against top 20 players and at the end of the season he completely dropped to 19th in the rankings. A difficult period began in Dimitrov’s career, overshadowed not only by injuries, but also by numerous psychological difficulties.
“Even now, at this stage of my career, when I experienced everything that happened off the court, all the despair, when it seemed like the world was about to collapse, I was losing games, I condemn myself for the defeats. “How can this happen to me?” I play the victim and all that. Things like this are inevitable and will appear sooner or later. But it’s about how you plan to use them and how you plan to solve them. You have to work with it, which is what I did at key moments in my life.
Remember, for example, how I made it to the US Open in 2019, ranked number 82 in the world, after recently being third. I was on the verge of quitting tennis three times. It’s complicated. You wake up and feel terrible. So what can we do about it? We must move on with our lives. The eyes are afraid, but the hands do. If you win, it’s great, but if not, don’t be discouraged and move on, there is no other way out. What if a doctor wakes up one day and decides not to perform an operation when he needs to save someone’s life? But in our business, fortunately, there is a choice, so you need to understand what exactly is important to you that day,” the Bulgarian summed up.
Grigor Dimitrov at the US Open 2019
Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images
Confessions from other players
It’s worth noting that Dimitrov is not the only tennis player who has spoken openly about mental health issues. At the end of 2023, Andrei Rublev also drew attention to the manifestation of psychological problems on the court:
“Mistakes are made, emotional outbursts, ugly outbursts, in some cases completely inappropriate. Because sometimes desire takes over and you become dependent on that “I want, I want!” and “must-must!” You see nothing and hear nothing. And in the end, when the picture doesn’t add up, panic begins.” – said Andrey in an interview with the project “More!”
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The presence of panic attacks was also admitted by the former fourth-ranked player in the world Carolina García, who finished the current season ahead of schedule. She wrote on social media that she was “exhausted by anxiety, panic attacks, tears before games” and also “feels pressure to perform.”
Every year, the issue of the psychological health of tennis players becomes more and more acute, and the increase in the length and density of the season only aggravates the situation. I would like to believe that in the near future many more players will be able to pay attention to this problem and change the trend for the better.
