While it has been long, the wait has finally been worth it. Grigor Dimitrov will return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings after a very long time on the back of some solid performances lately. After his win over Alexander Zverev in the Miami Open semifinal, the Bulgarian tennis star earned his entry to the elite club for the first time since November 2018. While he has been targeting this feat for long, Dimitrov finally breathed a sigh of relief after achieving it.

The 32-year-old has had a solid start to the 2024 season, already winning a title and making it to a final before the Miami Open. And now his rise in rankings makes him more resilient than ever.

Grigor Dimitrov dearly longed to make it to the top 10

The Bulgarian tennis star is placed 9th in the live ATP rankings. He has achieved the feat of entering the top 10 of the ATP rankings after more than 5 years. Speaking to Sky Sports after his match against Zverev yesterday, Grigor Dimitrov felt a true sense of satisfaction after achieving this feat. He said, “It’s cool. I wanted it a lot. It’s uphill for quite some years. At the moment, I’m running my own race at my own pace.”

Further, he went on to add, “I think after so many years on the tour, I understood a lot of things. I gonna realize also what’s important to me, how I want to be, and also what I want to give to myself, to the sport, to my team, to my family.” 

Dimitrov has been receiving much support from the crowd, which has been a big reason behind his resurgence of late. Additionally, Serena Williams was also seen cheering for him during his match against Zverev. Dimitrov had a gratitude-filled message for the American legend after supporting him at the Miami Open.

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Dimitrov shares a heartfelt message for Serena Williams

The two are very good friends and spent much time together on the tennis court during Williams’ playing days. After the match yesterday, the American legend was seen giving Dimitrov a hug and congratulating him for his victory.

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Thanking Williams for taking the time out to be at his match, Dimitrov said, “Yeah, she was very, she came to me and said, ‘I don’t wanna distract you but I gotta tell you something’. Which is like this one sentence you know, she always knows what to tell me in any given moment and you know and my friendship with her means so much to me.”

If Dimitrov manages to overcome Jannik Sinner in the Miami Open final, he can reach as high as Number 7 in the world. He would be indeed pumped up to achieve this and as a result, it promises to be a thrilling battle between the two.