In early 2017, Grigor Dimitrov felt he had a good chance to defeat Rafael Nadal, but the Spaniard found a way to win.
The loss in the Australian Open semifinal to Nadal left a significant mark on Dimitrov’s 2017 season. The 33-year-old Bulgarian recalls wondering if Nadal had some special powers that propelled him to victory after that intense match. Dimitrov played exceptionally well, yet Nadal emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4.
During the final set, Dimitrov was up 4-3 and had two break points, putting him in a strong position to win. However, instead of capitalizing on this advantage, he lost the eighth game and the following two games, resulting in a narrow defeat.
“The match with Rafa took me seven or eight months to get over. I often felt like there were invisible powers that tipped it over,” Dimitrov told The Athletic. “I was 4-2 up in the fifth and played an amazing… there was no way I could lose the match, and yet I lost the match. (I got over it with) mental strength, overall.”
Despite the setback, Dimitrov’s performance after the Australian Open loss was commendable. He won the Sofia Open in his next tournament and later claimed titles at the Cincinnati Masters and the ATP Finals in 2017. However, his Grand Slam performances that year were less impressive, with early exits at the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
When Dimitrov returned to the Australian Open in 2018, he reached the quarterfinals and repeated this achievement in 2021.