By JACK LeGWIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
Grigor Dimitrov could win Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old Bulgarian took it to the defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, blowing him off of the court 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the quarterfinals and earning a spot in the semifinals on Friday against the winner of the Novak Djokovic – Marin Cilic match.
Murray was uncharacteristically uneven against Dimitrov, missing many shots he normally would make, especially off of the forehand wing. Dimitrov finished with 32 winners and 10 unforced errors.
“As soon as we were warming up, I sensed his game was not at a high level,” Dimitrov, who won the Wimbledon warmup tournament at Queen’s Club, told the BBC.
“It helped a little bit. But a match is a different thing,” Dimitrov said. “I was pretty steady throughout the whole match, and I am the winner.”
The loss marked the first time Murray lost to a lower-ranked opponent at Wimbledon. Last year, he ended a 77-year drought by becoming the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win Wimbledon.
By beating Murray, Dimitrov passes him in the ATP rankings, and will make his top 10 debut. Murray will fall to No. 10.
Known as Baby Fed because of his grace and flatlined emotion on the court, Dimitrov has been quick to dismiss the nickname and comparison to Roger Federer.
“I think it’s time for everyone to kind of come up with something better,” he said on Friday. “I’m proving myself not only as a player but as a person outside of the court.”
Now he is showing that he is deserving of the recognition.
Dimitrov is 1-1 against Djokovic, winning in Madrid, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, but losing in Indian Wells 7-6, 6-1. He has not faced Cilic.
