Bulgarian player and World No. 17 Grigor Dimitrov was visibly emotional following a thrilling final match at the Rolex Paris Masters. Dimitrov, seated on a bench, partially covered his face with a white towel, exposing only his tearful eyes.
We love you @GrigorDimitrov ❤️😢#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/RXl30oVzQc
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 5, 2023
And upon realizing the state that Dimitrov was in, his big-time rival and friend Novak Djokovic abruptly stopped his interview in the middle and rushed over to him to console and embrace him.
It was a beautiful display of sportsmanship between the two tennis veterans, who had come a long way since their professional tennis debut in the early 2000s (2003 for Djokovic and 2008 for Dimitrov).
In an interview, Grigor clarified that those were tears of happiness and that he didn’t want anyone to interpret his feelings negatively.
“Those are happy tears. I don’t want to have them as something negative. I’m human, after all. At the end of the day, I think just the buildup, not only of the last two weeks, the last months of hard work and the big trip in China, everything has been kind of snowballing day after day, match after match,” Dimitrov said as per the ATP tour.
These two 🥺❤️ @DjokerNole @GrigorDimitrov#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/t8Lok3fhsG
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 5, 2023
Awarding ceremony speeches
Dimitrov had fought valiantly in the Rolex Paris Masters Final. But even after losing to Djokovic in straight sets of 6-4,6-3, Dimitrov had nothing but kind words to say about the Serb in the awarding ceremony.
“ Honestly I’m so grateful. Novak congrats. I don’t know what to say man. I’m running out of words. Honestly congrats for another amazing week to you and your team. My team, my guys, we’ve had a blast. Thank you to everyone in the box. It’s been an amazing journey this year. Completing another year on such a high note. I’m very pleased with that,” Dimitrov said.
Dimitrov also expressed his gratitude towards the crowd, saying, “Getting to the final means more than what you guys could imagine. It wouldn’t have been possible without you guys.”
Djokovic, in turn, acknowledged Dimitrov’s remarkable performance during the week and expressed his congratulations, “Grigor, sorry about the outcome today. It’s never easy to lose in a final. I want to encourage you to stay tough & keep going. You played some of the greatest tennis I’ve seen you play this week & the last few months. Keep going. Congrats to your team & your family.”
Following his impressive performance in Paris, Dimitrov is set to climb three spots to 14 in Monday’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings, his highest ranking since dropping out of the top 10 in November 2018.
Read More News
NY Yankees non-tender prospects: Five athletes, one of which was a…
Cover Photo: YouTube