“Where I’m at, there is no point in risking things,”– said Grigor Dimitrov, after a disappointing US Open quarterfinal match against Frances Tiafoe. The Bulgarian tennis ace struggled to complete the match before calling it quits during the fourth set, due to a probable hip or hamstring injury, though, he has yet to confirm the issue. After pushing his body to the limits, Grigor Dimitrov eventually decided to withdraw. But how does World No.9 deal with this heartbreaking loss?

Dimitrov had a slow start, with Tiafoe taking the first set with relative ease. The Bulgarian tennis star bounced back in the 2nd set, but he had to quit in the 4th set due to some troubles with his movement. Despite the setback, Dimitrov was firm about one thing: “to brush off the loss and move forward.” But “How hard it is to brush off an opportunity to make it to the semifinals? And how do you mentally get yourself prepared to brush off?” – questioned the journalist during the post-match conference on 4th September.

At the age of 33, when the body is relatively old for an athlete, injuries are not easy to recover from. Dimitrov too concurred with this thought as he said, “It doesn’t get any easier, I tell you that much.” But every tennis star develops their way of dealing with setbacks over time. And so has Dimitrov, as he detailed his way of dealing with this loss. “I think a lot of moments, outside of tennis like.. can really humble you in a very different way. That’s why when I’ve something like that comes around. I mean for sure, I Take it and I hurt with it,” the veteran said.

Dimitrov has a rather healthy way of dealing with heartbreaking losses. He accepts it and moves on, rather than holding on to it for a long time. He puts aside the defeats, as there are many exciting things to enjoy outside the tennis circuit. And the Bulgarian tennis star relishes in the outside world to recover. “I can say okay, I’m gonna get home, rest a little, have an amazing exhibition coming around the corner,” Dimitrov further remarked.

Dimitrov rightly said that there is no point in risking things and aggravating injuries. Had he continued with the fourth set, things might have taken a turn for the worse and might have ruled him out of the circuit for a longer time. But everyone is curious about his injury. Was it the fatigue from the last match, or did Dimtrov push himself to his limits, hence sustaining the injury?

Grigor Dimitrov’s US Open quarter-final injury update after loss to Tiafoe

Grigor Dimitrov kept Tiafoe on his toes by winning the second set. However, the World No.9 had to ask for medical assistance as he moved ahead in the match. As he pulled out in the fourth set, some of the tennis fans were worried about the status of his injury. Many thought it was probably the hip injury or his hamstring was under stress. However, Dimitrov refused to confirm the nature of his injury until a thorough assessment was done. But how did it come to this point?

“Yeah, I think it’s a combination of everything. Clearly, my rehab process is a bit slower than before. I’ve felt a couple of things prior to the match, but I think there is really no point in talking about that,” said Dimitrov. Though it’s not an easy pill to swallow right now, the World No.9 is focused on getting back on track by reassessing his performances in the hard-court swing. Do you think Dimitrov can finish this season on a high? Let us know in the comments below.