Novak Djokovic: “Grigor Dimitrov has been One of the Best Talents”

Ahead of his semi-final clash in the Rolex Paris Masters against Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday, Novak Djokovic lauded his opponent saying he was “one of the best talents” in tennis.

“He’s been one of the best talents we’ve had in the sport in the last decade for sure,” Djokovic was quoted as saying by Tennis.com.

Dimitrov, an eight-time ATP singles winner, plays a one-handed back hand which often drew comparison to Roger Federer. In an era dominated by the “Big three” in Tennis, beating one of them has been considered an achievement for many. Dimitrov, in the recently concluded US Open, did exactly that when he beat the Swiss maestro to earn a place in the semi-finals in the Grand Slam event against Djokovic.

“There’s been a lot of comparison with his game and Federer’s game and he managed to play semis of grand slam against me in Wimbledon, got to top 10, played really well and then struggled with consistency lately, but since US Open, he is playing at a different level,” Djokovic further said.

Djokovic also conceded that the match was not going to be as straight forward against a “confident” Dimitrov who, according the Serbian has been playing some “terrific” tennis.

“He’s always had the game, but sometimes, it is a matter of things coming together mentally at the right time,” Djokovic said.

“Last three months have been quite good for him results wise. Beating Roger Federer in the US Open was a huge confidence booster for him and he’s been playing some terrific tennis this week. I saw him play last couple of days. He seem to really like the conditions here.”

Djokovic, who was coming off a rather comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, said with a smile: “I don’t play too bad myself and it’s (the match) going to be, for sure, a good one.”