‘He Was Not That Well Known’- Grigor Dimitrov Explains How He Ended Up Having Roger Federer’s Game Style

Grigor Dimitrov undoubtedly has been one of the most underachievers on the tour.  Nonetheless, he has a similar playing style as the Swiss maestro, Roger Federer. The Bulgarian star often couples it with similar outfits and rackets. However, unlike most of the younger players who idolize playing like Federer, Dimitrov didn’t try to match Federer’s style on purpose. Instead, he was taught that way. Recently, while speaking to a media house, Dimitrov opened up on how he developed this playing style.

How Grigor Dimitrov got Federer like slice

Since the onset of his career, Grigor Dimitrov has been vocal about how his father’s influence on his tennis. In interviews, he has been completely open about how his father taught him to play when he didn’t even know how to hold the racket. Dimitrov developing a game like Federer dates back to the same period.

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One of the most adorable shots in Dimitrov’s game is his slice. A similar scenario is with Federer’s game. Like Dimitrov, the Swiss maestro also has one of the cleanest slices.

Opening up on how he developed a Federer-like slice, Dimitrov recalled the time his father used to teach him to play. The 30-year-old asserted that the slice was the first shot that his father taught him. He also admitted that it was at the time when Federer wasn’t very popular.

“One of the first shots that dad taught me was the slice. Roger was playing at the time, but he was not that well known. But my dad was very vocal on certain shots of my game. That’s why I still remember that one of the first shots he taught me was the slice,” he said.

Changing the serving style

Apart from the groundstrokes, another similarity between Federer’s and Dimitrov’s game is their service motion, Unlike the majority of players who close their feet during the serve, these two opt to continue with an open stance throughout their service motion. However, this wasn’t Dimitrov’s service action from the beginning.

Opening up on the similarity in serve with Federer, Dimitrov started by recalling his teenage days, elaborating on how difficult it was for him to serve. He said, “I have to change my serve. I was 16 or 17 years old. I was this skinny kid, unable to put my two feet together on the court. Every time I was serving, I used to put my foot next to the other one. Basically, I had to take a step to serve.”

Going further, the former World No. 3 admitted that it was after struggling with his serve that he decided to make amends to it. “I realized with time that it was not sustainable enough for me. I was losing balance and motion and everything. Ultimately, I had to change my serve for another position. And that position turned out to be similar to that guy,” he said.

The person behind Dimitrov’s Federer like serve

Listening to how Dimitrov, many might think that it was just a coincidence that Dimitrov developed a Federer like technique. However, that wasn’t the actual case. Going further on his evolution of serve, Dimitrov confessed that the person who helped him with serve was a big Federer fan. He said, “I still remember that the person who helped me out with it, I think he was a big fan of Roger. That’s how I think the serve came around, I think.”

Despite a slow start to his 2022 season, Dimitrov enjoyed a semifinal run at the recently concluded Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco. The Bulgarian defeated Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz en route to his run before bowing out to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last four clash.

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Following his successful run in Monaco, Dimitrov enters this week’s Barcelona Open as the 14th seed and will kickstart his campaign from the second round on Wednesday.