Grigor Dimitrov speaks with great respect and a touch of nostalgia for his good friend and longtime rival Novak Djokovic. The Serbian tennis legend, who holds a record 24 Grand Slam titles, is gradually entering the final stages of his remarkable career, and Dimitrov admits that it is not easy to watch how time affects even one of the greatest players in history.
In 2023, at the age of 36, Djokovic demonstrated impressive form and won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments. In the following three seasons, however, the Serb failed to add another major trophy to his collection, while Carlos Alcaraz, Yannick Siner and Alexander Zverev began to occupy increasingly serious leading positions in men's tennis.
At 39, Djokovic is increasingly feeling the physical challenges of his long career. At this year's US Open, he was eliminated in the first round, which became his earliest defeat in a Grand Slam tournament since 2006.
Grigor Dimitrov himself, who is 35 years old, notes that modern tennis is becoming faster, more physically demanding and demanding of the competitors.
„Today's tennis players are bigger, stronger and faster. This is a natural part of the development of the sport. Of course, it is not easy to see Djokovic getting older and starting to experience certain difficulties. No matter how strong you are, biology inevitably takes its toll at some point,” Dimitrov told Bolavip.
The Bulgarian adds that long years in professional sports leave their mark on every athlete.
“Nature takes its toll and that's part of life. When you've been in professional sports for so long, with the constant travel, the different time zones and everything else, at a certain point the accumulation starts to take its toll. To a certain extent, I think that's how it should be. There are other things in life besides tennis. We were privileged to be put in this position. "I feel spoiled by fate and I think we all should feel that way," Dimitrov said.
Djokovic is currently ranked 11th in the world, while Dimitrov, who has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, is ranked 123rd.
The two have met 14 times in a row, with the Serb having a clear advantage of 13 wins to the Bulgarian's one.
Both are gradually facing the end of their careers. Djokovic is still chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, while Dimitrov is still dreaming of his first major trophy. However, with the arrival of a new generation and the increasingly athletic nature of modern tennis, achieving these goals is becoming more and more challenging.