Grigor Dimitrov has lost more matches than he has won this season, but there was a silver lining at Wimbledon. He got a wild card entry at the grass Grand Slam, and the Bulgarian made it count by reaching the fourth round, defeating Dane Sweeny, Jakub Mensik, and Matteo Berrettini. He eventually lost to home favorite and the semifinalist, Arthur Fery, in a five-set battle, where he was just one break away from making it to his ninth career Grand Slam quarterfinal and second at the SW19. Everywhere else, the results have been thin. 

The Bulgarian qualified for the US Open, helped in the final round by a walkover from Otto Virtanen’s withdrawal, only to lose his first-round match to Alexei Popyrin in four sets, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 4-6. He went on national duty afterwards at the Davis Cup tie against Denmark, where he suffered a loss to Holger Rune but collected a win against Elmer Moller, and Bulgaria eventually lost 2-3. He then went straight into the Saint-Tropez Challenger, where he was knocked out in the first round by world No. 127 Edas Butvilas.

Dimitrov is now on his way to Portugal in search of momentum. The 35-year-old has received a wildcard into the main draw of the Eupago Porto Open, an ATP Challenger 125, arriving in the city ranked 127th in the world. His inclusion in this tournament is a major coup. 

Organizers have made him the star attraction of the week on the back of his career achievements – former world No. 3, nine ATP tour titles, one of the only few players to defeat the ‘Big Four’ and to win a Masters 1000 and ATP finals in their era are career-defining triumphs. 

After 58 consecutive Grand Slam appearances, that streak ended at the 2025 US Open. That absence traces back to Wimbledon 2025, when Dimitrov led world No. 1 Jannik Sinner two sets to love in the fourth round before he tore his pectoral muscle mid-match and had to retire on the spot. Only a handful of players of his age are now remaining inside the top 100- Novak Djokovic, Adrian Mannarino, and Marin Cilic and the Bulgarian was a part of that group. 

As recently as last year, the moment he got injured against Sinner, he was ranked inside the top 20. Currently ranked 127th in the world, he has no thoughts of retiring and the Wimbledon glimpse this summer showed that he has the capability to be a part of that group again. 

Grigor Dimitrov is not done yet

Dimitrov has been open about how much that stretch reshaped his outlook rather than simply testing his patience. Speaking to Bolavip, he described feeling genuinely grateful just to still have the chance to compete, saying he is focused on staying present rather than measuring himself against the player he used to be. 

“I am just super grateful about that, and I am trying to stay in the present moment, which is the most important thing for me right now,” he said. “Of course, I still have some years left in me to play, but for me being able to still do what I do and giving myself that chance is huge for me.” 

Dimitrov also felt he owed a debt of gratitude to fans who have seen him survive the ups and downs in the recent years, and he was also doing it for them. That attitude has also altered his own attitude regarding being selective about his schedule. 

“I cannot emphasize enough that I am running my own race now,” he said, adding that he now sees it as a privilege to pick his tournaments on his own terms rather than chase every ranking point available. 

He even floated writing a book someday about the unusual arc of a career that took him from one of the sport’s most hyped prospects, ‘Baby Fed,’ to a 35-year-old still fighting his way back through Challenger draws.

With no ranking points to defend for the rest of the season, Porto gives Dimitrov his next opportunity to add to a rebuild that has already asked more of him than almost any other stretch of his nineteen years on tour.