When Roger Federer hoisted his first Grand Slam trophy above his head at the All-England Club in 2003, his coach Peter Lundgren looked on with tears streaming down his face. At the same time, over 1,000 km away, Grigor Dimitrov was a 12-year-old boy dreaming that he could one day step onto the same court as Roger Federer.
Six years later, Lundgren began coaching the Bulgarian teenager and introduced him to the world as ‘the next Federer.’
‘Baby Federer.’ That’s been Dimitrov’s nickname since Lundgren made the comparison between his then-developing protégé to arguably the greatest player who has ever played.
While the ATP’s 28th-ranked player insists that he doesn’t like the comparisons or the ‘Baby Federer’ nickname, the resemblance between the two players is uncanny. Between the way Federer and Dimitrov both float across the court like a ballet dancer, to their effortless one-handed backhand and whipping forehand, their game is eerily similar.
The two have never played a match against each other, but they have practiced together – it must be like hitting into a mirror, only the mirror is hitting it right back.
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But Dimitrov isn’t a mirror image of Federer. The 21-year-old hasn’t found success as quickly as Federer did.
A few days shy of his 22nd birthday, Dimitrov has never gotten further than the 2nd round of a major and he has no ATP titles to his name. Dimitrov’s greatest success came in 2008, when he won the Junior Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles.
By Dimitrov’s age, Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal were well on their way to stardom. But with the Big Four’s stranglehold on the sport, the new generation of stars has no choice but to be late bloomers.
Dimitrov is yet not a household name. In fact, he’s most famous for his love life – his current girlfriend is Maria Sharapova and he’s Serena Williams’ ex-boyfriend. Popular guy.
But slowly and surely, Dimitrov is making a name for himself on the court.
Just days ago at the Madrid Open, Dimitrov stunned the tennis world and Novak Djokovic, ousting the top seed. Yes, Djokovic wasn’t 100 percent healthy, but Dimitrov’s consistency and perseverance to beat the top player in the world in three sets was impressive. It was the greatest win of Dimitrov’s young career.
‘It’s only a matter of time.’ How often have you heard that line in sports?
‘It’s only a matter of time until he breaks through.’
If you’re a Milos Raonic, Bernard Tomic, Jack Sock or even a Ryan Harrison fan, you’ve heard that line plenty of times. And as much as we’re repeating ourselves, it’s true.
It’s only a matter of time before Dimitrov becomes a star.
And if his nickname holds true, he’s going to be fun to watch.