Speaking after his straight-sets victory over Israel’s Dudi Sela on Day 5, Grigor Dimitrov talked about his breakout 2014 with ESPN's Hannah Storm and LZ Granderson, and the electric Bulgarian didn’t hesitate to give credit to Maria Sharapova for his success.
Milestone: Tommy Robredo Joins Federer in Select "Warrior" Group
Storm clearly couldn’t resist talking about the Bulgarian’s romance with Sharapova, and she casually brought up the fact that she saw Dimitrov and Sharapova practicing side-by-side on the practice courts earlier in the week, saying “How much do you guys talk when you’re in a tournament together, like a Grand Slam tournament?"
She added, not so convincingly: "I’m not trying to pry into your personal life, but it is an unusual situation that two people, very high seeds, competing at the same time in the same tournament.”
Dimitrov, who often defers questions like these from reporters, obliged on this day.
“I think it’s great,” says Dimitrov. “What can I say Maria is definitely a true champion, knows how to deal with all of those circumstances—been there, done that. So, I’m not afraid to ask for tips sometimes, if I may say so.”
Next it was Granderson’s turn. He chimed in about the tips that Dimitrov mentioned, asking if Maria had influenced him in his business dealings, now that he’s become a marketable top ten player.
Dimitrov spoke about his desire to focus on the tennis, saying that his performance on court is what matters most, but then, because he knew they wanted to hear it from him, he went on to speak about Maria’s exceptional ability to manage a busy off-court portfolio and still perform on court.
“I think Maria’s pretty much the greatest example of how to manage on and off court things,” he said. “I can just say she’s the greatest at what she does, on and off the court.”
To this Granderson told Dimitrov, “Yeah, but your biased,” and Dimitrov, at first put off, eventually laughed along.
The Bulgarian will face red-hot Belgian David Goffin in the third round. He had never won a US Open match until this season.
Photo Source: AP