Dimitrov Plans To Deny Djokovic To Snap Six-Year…

Bulgarian last lifted tour-level trophy at 2017 Nitto ATP Finals

Grigor Dimitrov
has the
chance to end a rock-solid year in spectacular fashion at theRolex Paris Masters
.

The Bulgarian has been the model of consistency in 2023, racking up a 41-20
record and reaching one tour-level championship match and four other
semi-finals. Although the 32-year-old Dimitrov’s wait for his ninth ATP Tour
title has now gone on for nearly six years, he is determined to be proactive in
trying to change that in Paris-Bercy as he takes onNovak Djokovic
in Sunday’s
final at the ATP Masters 1000.

“I think for me where I’m at right now, things in a way, they’re going my way,
but also I’m looking for them as well,” said Dimitrov after he overcameStefanos
Tsitsipas
in Saturday’s semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event. “I’m not waiting for
my opponent to do something with it or I’m not waiting for them to miss.

“I want to win or lose on my own terms… I can control my attitude, and I don’t
want to feel sorry for myself for the past years. I don’t want to feel like I
have missed opportunities. Have I? Yeah, of course, too many, if you ask me.
Have I made mistakes? Yes, too many.

“There comes a point where it’s like, okay, I’m accepting all that had been
thrown at me, what I had to face, and I continue. I get to have another chance.
So when you get that chance, try to use it. So I’m trying to give myself a
chance.”

Djokovic enters Sunday’s match on a 17-match winning streak and with an 11-1
Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against Dimitrov. Two of those victories came in
Paris-Bercy (2016, 2019), where the Serbian is chasing a record-extending
seventh title and his sixth tour-level crown of 2023. The 36-year-old has been
tested this week in France, however, both by his opponents and a stomach virus
that has left him feeling under the weather.

“[I have been] going through quite a difficult stomach virus that really made
me feel terrible the past three days, but somehow [managed] to find strength,
find energy under the adrenaline rush of playing a match,” said Djokovic, who
battled pastTallon Griekspoor
, Holger
Rune and Andrey
Rublev all in
three sets to book his spot in the final. “Not giving up, fighting and
believing that I can come back, which happened again and hopefully it can
happen tomorrow.”

Djokovic would become the first player to win 40 Masters 1000 titles by
extending his winning streak against Dimitrov to 10 on Sunday afternoon in
Paris, where he tasted defeat in the 2022 final against Rune. It would also
increase his Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin lead overCarlos Alcaraz
to 1490
points and make it highly likely he will claim the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented
by Pepperstone honour for the a record-extending eighth time.

Beating Djokovic in Bercy therefore represents a daunting task for Dimitrov,
who lifted his sole Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati in 2017, the same year as
hisNitto ATP Finals
triumph.

READ MORE:Paris Masters: after loss Daniil Medvedev sends shocking message to novak djokovic
He has already upsets seeded opponentsDaniil Medvedev
, Hubert
Hurkacz l and
Tsitsipas this week, however, and the Bulgarian may feel he has little to lose
as he looks for his eighth, and arguably most important, Top 10 win of the year.

“It means a lot to me for so many different reasons,” said Dimitrov of his
Paris run. “I don’t take this very lightly… I appreciate it a lot because I
know how difficult it has been for me, certain tournaments and months
throughout the year. So I guess this came at the right time.

“I don’t know what to say. I think getting to this final means a lot more to
me than some, I think even some moments, some big moments in my career. Right
now I’m just staying in the moment. I have one more match to play. I’m going to
give it all. What’s going to happen, I don’t know. But I’d say this week means,
from a very different perspective, a lot.”