30 Mind-Blowing Facts About Grigor Dimitrov You Might Have Missed Before

Grigor Dimitrov, one of the most talented up-and-coming tennis players in the world, is said to have one of the most unusual playstyles. He is comfortable on all parts of the court and has a solid fast serve often reaching 210 km/h, up to 220 km/h. He is known for his hustle, athleticism, fluid style of play and exceptional shot-making and his backhand is one of the most versatile in the game. Here are some really interesting facts about the Bulgarian tennis player that will make you love him more:

"Grigor Dimitrov" by Carine06 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

1.  Following his second round win over Mitchell Krueger at the 2022 Delray Beach Open, he became only the second man born in the ‘90s or later to reach 350 career wins, after Milos Raonic. He is the 130th man in the Open Era and the 22nd active player to do it.
2.  He reached his first ATP singles final in the 2013 season, defeating Brian Baker, world No. 13 Milos Raonic, Jürgen Melzer, and Marcos Baghdati at the Brisbane International, becoming the first Bulgarian player to reach an ATP final.
3.  At the 2012 French Open, Dimitrov was a set and a break up against 17th seed Gasquet before suffering an injury, he went on to lose the set, momentum and eventually match.
4.  During the 2010 IPP Open, where he played Lithuanian player Ričardas Berankis, he pushed the chair umpire with both hands and swore at him in an off-court incident after the match.
5.  He felt that he was treated unfairly after some close calls in the first set tiebreak, which led to his actions against the chair umpire. He was fined €2,000.
6.  Grigor Dimitrov was born on May 16, 1991 to Dimitar Gospodinov Dimitrov and Maria Dimitrova in Haskovo, Bulgaria.
7.  His father was a tennis coach, while his mother was a sports teacher, and former volleyball player. His father served as his coach in his early years.
8.  His very first tennis racket was given to him by his mother, at the age of three. When he was around five years old, he began playing daily.
9.  After proving his talent in the junior’s tournaments, he made it clear that he will develop his skill and make his career in tennis. By the time he was 16, he turned professional.
10.  He joined the academy "Sanchez-Casal" in the year 2007, and trained under the leadership of Emilio Sánchez and Pato álvarez.

"Grigor Dimitrov" by mirsasha is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

11.  He started training in the Patrick Mouratoglou's Tennis Academy in March 2009, in Paris, France, where he spent the next four seasons. In the year 2012, he appointed Mouratoglou as his coach in 2012.
12.  Early in his career he was given the nickname "Baby Fed" for his stylish play and on-court talent being similar to that of Roger Federer.
13.  He claimed his first major junior cup, the U14 European title, at the age of 14. Following this, he won the Orange Bowl U16 boys singles in 2006, and earned the name Eddie Herr International 2007 Rising Star.
14.  He was the finalist at the Orange Bowl U18 boys singles losing to Ričardas Berankis of Lithuania in the year 2017. He, along with Vasek Pospisil, reached the US Open doubles final falling to Jonathan Eysseric and Jérôme Inzerillo.
15.  During the 2008 Grand Slam season, although he started it with a quarterfinal showing at Roland Garros, losing to Poland's Jerzy Janowicz, he went on to win the Wimbledon.
16.  He defeated Henri Kontinen of Finland in the final of 2008 Junior Wimbledon without dropping a set despite playing with a shoulder injury throughout the tournament.
17.  His success continued at the US Open, during which he defeated top seed Yang Tsung-hua of Taiwan in the semifinals, and American qualifier Devin Britton in two sets in the final.
18.  On September 8, 2008, he became the junior world No. 1 overtaking Yang Tsung-hua. He closed at No. 3 of the junior ranking that year, compiling a singles win–loss record of 74–28.
19.  After his junior US Open title, he won back to back futures tournaments in Madrid on hard court and rose 300 places to career high ranking of 477
20.  In the year 2009, he was granted a wildcard to the main draw of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament and scored an upset over then-world No. 23, Tomáš Berdych, earning his first ATP main draw win.

"Grigor Dimitrov" by mirsasha is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

21.  On his Grand Slam debut at the Wimbledon where he got a wildcard as the 2008 junior’s champion, he won the first set of his first-round match against Igor Kunitsyn but then suffered a knee injury.
22.  Still, he attempted to continue even with his injury and lost in the following ten games before retiring. He was granted a wildcard to the main draw of the Swedish Open but lost in the first round to Guillermo Cañas.
23.  As the 2008 winner of the US Open boys tournament, he earned a wildcard for the US Open qualification tournament. He won his first round match against Tobias Kamke but in the second round lost to the number one seed of the qualification, Thomaz Bellucci.
24.  He started the 2010 season with a quarterfinal finish at a challenger event of Internationaux de Nouvelle-Calédonie, but failed to qualify for the Australian Open, as he lost to Robert Kendrick in three sets in the first round.
25.  He advanced to the second round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time during the 2011 season, and achieved his then-career high ATP ranking of 85. With this, he became the top ranked Bulgarian male tennis player of all time.
26.  In the year 2012, he began dating Maria Sharapova, and after the 2013 Madrid Open, following his first win against a world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, they confirmed their relationship.
27.  However, their relationship did not last long, and the couple publicly stated in July 2015, that they have ended their three-year long relationship.
28.  By the end of 2015, he started dating American singer Nicole Scherzinger, the lead vocalist of The Pussycat Dolls. But they separated in early 2019.
29.  During the 2011 season, he became the first Bulgarian man ever to be seeded at an ATP World Tour tournament being seeded eighth at the U.S. Clay Court Championships.
30.  At the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, Dimitrov faced the No. 32 seed, Kevin Anderson in the first round, and won in a very close four sets.
31.  Grigor Dimitrov Net Worth: $12 Million