Net Worth: c. $12 Million
Age: 32
Born: 16 May 1991
Birthplace: Haskovo, Bulgaria
Grigor Dimitrov is a professional tennis player from Bulgaria who has achieved significant success in his career. He has previously been ranked as the world No. 3 by the ATP in singles matches, which he first gained in November 2017. This achievement made him the best-ranked Bulgarian tennis player of all time. He acquired this ranking after taking out the prestigious ATP Finals title. So far, he has won 9 singles titles ATP Tour.
Before turning pro, Dimitrov had a successful junior career, reaching the world No. 1 ranking and winning major boys’ singles titles, consecutively, at the Wimbledon and US Championships in 2008. In October 2013, he became the first Bulgarian man to win an ATP Tour singles title, triumphing at the Stockholm Open. As of the 2024 Australian Open, he holds the current longest consecutive streak of appearances at Grand Slam tournaments by an active a male player, at 52.
Dimitrov is the only male Bulgarian tennis player to reach a final in doubles, which he did in 2011. He is also the first of his countrymen to take out the ATP Finals and win a Masters title (in Cincinnati) the same year (which he won in 2017). Furthermore, he is the only male Bulgarian player to accumulate more than US$1 million in prize money.
On 6 November 2023, he became only the 19th men’s tennis player to have accumulated $25 million in prize money. Additionally, in 2014 and 2017, he took out the Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year awards, (the only times a tennis player has won the award since its creation in 1958), and the Balkan Athlete of the Year award in 2017.
Early Life
Grigor Dimitrov was born in Haskovo in 1991. His father, Dimitar, was a tennis coach and his mother, Maria, was a sports teacher and former volleyball player. At the age of three, his mother gave him his first tennis racket, and he began playing daily at the age of five. His father initially coached him, but after he showed promise in junior tournaments, he decided he needed to develop in different conditions. At 16, Dimitrov turned professional.
In 2007, Dimitrov joined the Sanchez-Casal Academy and developed his game under the tutelage of Pato Álvarez and Emilio Sánchez. He then trained in Paris, France, from March 2009, joining Patrick Mouratoglou’s Tennis Academy and spending the next four seasons there. For 2012, he appointed Patrick Moratoglou as his coach.
Junior Career
At the age of 14, he won his first major junior title, the U14 European championship. In 2006, he emerged victorious in the Orange Bowl U16 boys singles and was later recognized as the Eddie Herr International 2007 Rising Star.
In the same year at the Orange Bowl, he was the runner-up to the Lithuanian, Ričardas Berankis in the U18 boys singles. Additionally, he reached the doubles final of the US Open in 2007 with Vasek Pospisil, but unfortunately, they lost to Jérôme Inzerillo and Jonathan Eysseric.
In 2008, a tennis player started his Grand Slam season with a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open. He lost to Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz in three sets. However, he managed to win Wimbledon that year. Despite playing with a shoulder injury, he won the tournament by defeating Henri Kontinen of Finland in the final. He did not lose a set throughout the tournament.
His victory at Wimbledon qualified him for a wildcard entry into the 2009 Wimbledon men’s draw. Later that year, he won the US Open by beating Devin Britton, an American qualifier, in two straight sets. Earlier in the tournament, he also overcame Yang Tsung-hua of Taiwan, the top seed, in the semis. After the tournament, he announced that he would be ending his junior career and focusing on improving his ATP ranking. Soon after, he became junior world No. 1.
He finished the year 2008 ranked No. 3 in the junior rankings. As a junior, he had a singles win-loss record of 74-28 and a doubles record of 42-20.
Turning Professional and Early Career
Dimitrov played his first ATP match as a professsional in 2009. He gained a wildcard entry to the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament where he caused a stir by beating Tomáš Berdych, who was at the time ranked 23 in the world. This victory earned him his maiden win at the main draw of an ATP event. In the second round he lost to Rafael Nadal in three sets, who at the time was the current world number one player.
In 2010, he won his first Challenger title, taking out the IPP Trophy. He quickly went on to win the Bangkok Open as well. This success saw him break into the top 250 rankings for the ATP Tour. He continued on an upward trajectory in 2011, breaking into the Top 100, while in 2012 he again beat Tomáš Berdych, who was the number 7 seed at the time, at Sony Ericcson Open – thus earning him his first victory against a top ten player.
In 2013, at the Brisbane International, he became the first Bulgarian player to reach the final of an ATP event. Unfortunately, despite being a break up in both sets, Andy Murray eventually beat him in straight sets.
A few months later, in Stockholm, he won his first ATP title, beating David Ferrer after overcoming a one set deficit in the final. In the process, he became the first Bulgarian player to ever win an ATP title.
Pro Career To Date
At the time of writing, Dimitrov’s career record reads 420 wins and 274 losses (60.5%), taking into account ATP tour matches, the main draw of Grand Slam events and the Davis Cup. He has currently won nine titles and has been ranked as high as number 3 in the world, back in November 2017.
In singles, he won the Tour Finals in 2017 and has reached the US Open and Wimbledon semi-finals. In doubles, his record is more modest, winning only 56 of his 131 matches (42.7%). He has yet to win a single tournament as a doubles player and has only reached the third round of a Grand Slam event once, at the Australian Open in 2013.
However, in mixed doubles he has won 3 of the 4 matches he has played, while for Bulgaria, he has won 20 of his 24 Davis Cup matches.
Endorsements
In addition to the estimated $25 million he has won in prize money, Dimitrov has enjoyed lucrative endorsement deals with Wilson, Nike and Lacoste.
Personal Life
In late 2012, Grigor Dimitrov began a romantic relationship with Maria Sharapova. However, the couple only confirmed their relationship after the 2013 Madrid Open, where Dimitrov managed to beat Novak Djokovic and secure his first win against a world No. 1. Sadly, the couple separated in July 2015.
At the end of 2015, Dimitrov began discreetly dating Nicole Scherzinger, the lead vocalist of The Pussycat Dolls. He has since ended his romantic involvement with her in 2019.
In addition to his native Bulgarian, Dimitrov speaks English fluently. He has a passion for sports, cars, computers, and watches. Early in his career, he was given the nickname “Baby Fed” for his exceptional on-court talent and stylish play, which were similar to those of Roger Federer.