He may have ended Jordan Thompson’s Brisbane charge for a second year running, but Grigor Dimitrov believes the Australian underdog’s career renaissance is far from over.
The world No.10 was in clinical form on Friday afternoon, dismantling his rival 6-1, 2-1 on Pat Rafter Arena, before the hometown hero was forced to retire with foot pain.
Thompson was seen receiving treatment on his right leg twice before withdrawing from the Brisbane International quarterfinals clash, raising alarm bells for his Australian Open ambitions in which he is set for his maiden seeding at a grand slam.
Jordan Thompson was forced to withdraw from his quarterfinal clash in the Brisbane International with Grigor Dimitrov.Credit: Getty Images
“It’s super unfortunate obviously, Jordan is such a great guy,” Dimitrov told this masthead.
“It’s never easy to have an injury, especially in front of your home crowd.”
Almost a year ago to the day, Dimitrov brought Thompson’s dream run to the final four to a close at the same tournament, a charge which had featured a dramatic win against tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
The Sydneysider’s triumph over Nadal launched his career-best season, one in which he claimed a maiden ATP title and a grand slam doubles crown, surging to No.26 in the world.
And Dimitrov, who at 33 has undergone his own resurgence in the past 12 months, said he believed Thompson’s ascent would only continue.
The Bulgarian star had not won a trophy since his ATP Finals victory in 2017 before claiming the Brisbane International silverware in 2024.
He went on to announce his comeback to the top 10 for the first time since November 2018, and said he saw enough in Thompson’s game to suggest a similar late charge.
“Jordan, from what I’ve seen, has been winning quite a few matches, and I think he’s one of the toughest competitors. He’s always fit, he always plays well, he’s very aggressive, and I think he’s even more aggressive than before,” Dimitrov said.
“I always say age doesn’t really matter … sometimes you just need more time to get better at your craft. You see some artists who have been painting for 20 years, and then it takes them 25 years to get that masterpiece.
“Our sport is so much about adapting and adjusting. I had to alter my way of practicing a bit – that’s where the age comes in – where I had to cut down some hours on the court, but instead had to focus more on my diet and fitness and had to be a bit more precise when I got on the court.
“He [Thompson] has improved on a lot of his tools all around the court, so of course why can’t you see him doing well in other tournaments?”
Dimitrov’s win continues his love affair with Pat Rafter Arena, as he has now won more Brisbane International matches than any other player.
He heads into a clash with Jiri Lehecka on Saturday and the ultimate goal will be to keep this momentum going into the Australian Open in his bid to at last emerge a grand slam victor after 17 years on the international tour.
Semi-final appearances in Melbourne (2017), at Wimbledon (2014) and the US Open (2019) are as close as Dimitrov has come to achieving that goal. However, he declared he still possessed the tools to make an impression – regardless of who he came up against.
“I’m using this week as a reference almost to see where I’m at. I had a shorter off season, I think shorter than a lot of players, and I just wanted to see how I could pull up each match,” Dimitrov said.
“I deserve to be here, I’ve put a lot of work in, I know what I’ve done, and I’ve been really great with my discipline. I definitely want to compete against the best players in the world, that’s my goal.
“I always like my chances whoever I play, but I’m not losing sight of what I have to do. I still believe I can get better.”
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