Grigor Dimitrov is still stranded at the 2017 ATP Finals
Talent and constancy are two skills which have not traveled parallelly in Grigor Dimitrov's career. The Bulgarian, endowed with an extraordinary technique and talent, has always experienced ups and downs in his professional life, alternating brilliant moments with extremely negative long periods.
This is what is happening now. Dimitrov seems to have been left behind in 2017, the year that is considered by all insiders to be his best season. The great performances at the Australian Open, the four titles won (for a total of eight, in career) and the triumph at the ATP Finals were the signals that his talent was finally giving the results that everyone was hoping for.
Everyone had believed that this moment could be the watershed moment of his career. The moment when he could finally transform himself from a great talent into a great champion. So obviously, it wasn't. His 2018 was a flop. Bad from a technical, mental and physical point of view. A lethal mix, which saw him again outside among the sport's protagonists, in a limbo where there was no leap of quality and results.
The negative trend is continuing in 2019. Quarterfinals in Brisbane, fourth round in Melbourne, second round at the Miami Open. On the clay courts of Monte Carlo Rafael, Nadal gave him a hard tennis lesson, while he didn't shine even in Madrid. Physical problems have partly limited his performances, but the real problem has been pressure management.
Dimitrov failed to handle the pressure after winning the ATP Finals, and as a result, he was unable to repeat the 2017 performances. At the age of 27, he still has time to demonstrate his skills again; the alternative is to end up relegated to the margins, without ever really blossoming, and remain a talent, and not a true top player.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2HdCxIl
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