'So happy for this guy' - Serena Williams' ex-coach delighted as Grigor Dimitrov captures his first title in 6 years at Brisbane International
Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs is elated to witness Grigor Dimitrov capture his first title on the main tour in six years.
The Bulgarian has been rewarded for playing his best tennis in the last few months on the men's circuit. He began the new season on a scintillating note, lifting his first trophy at the 2024 Brisbane International.
Dimitrov scored important wins over the likes of Andy Murray, Jordan Thompson and Holger Rune. Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, lauded his recent achievement and expressed delight at watching Dimitrov end his extended trophy-drought.
"Sooooooo happy for this guy," wrote Stubbs on X (formerly Twitter).
Dimitrov finally ended his six-year long trophy drought at the Brisbane International. The World No. 14 outclassed Dane Holger Rune 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the finals.
The 32-year-old has now chalked up 10 wins in his last 11 matches on the main tour. Dimitrov also reached the finals at the 2023 Paris Masters in late October, but couldn't get over the line against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Dimitrov celebrated his semifinal victory in Brisbane with his parents, who were supporting him from the stands. However, they couldn't be with him for his final bout against Rune due to an early flight.
The Bulgarian wished to send his parents a picture with the trophy after his victory. Dimitrov also thanked his team for a successful campaign at the 2024 Brisbane International.
"I want to say thank you to my team. My parents are not here, they had to rush to the airport. Shame that they're not here but it's okay, I'll send them a picture," Grigor Dimitrov said at the post-match interview.
Dimitrov also spoke about his plans in the near future and looked forward to competing at the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne.
"I don't know guys, I'm very tired. I'll take some days off. But nonetheless, I'm very happy to be in Australia and I'll keep on going and onto the next one. Thank you so much once again for the support," he added.
Grigor Dimitrov's record at the Australian Open
Grigor Dimitrov is one of the most in-form players on the men's tour at the moment. He is undefeated in 2024 and has already captured his first title at the Brisbane International.
The 32-year-old is gearing up to compete at the Australian Open next which begins on January 14th. His stand-out performance at the hardcourt Major so far, has been a semifinal apperance in 2017.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the defending champion at the event. It'll be interesting to see if Dimitrov can use his experience to navigate past top-quality opponents and make a deep run. He reached the third round last year and had a second-round exit in 2022 at the hands of French player Benoit Paire.