Watch: Grigor Dimitrov climbs into the stands to gift disabled fan his wrist band after R2 win against Sebastian Korda at Marseille Open 2024
Grigor Dimitrov displayed a heartfelt gesture after his second-round win at the Open 13 in Marseille, France, as he went into the stands to gift a disabled fan a special memento.
Dimitrov is seeded No. 2 at the ATP 250 event and received a first round bye. He faced Sebastian Korda in the second round on Thursday (February 8) in front of a packed crowd at the Palais des Sports de Marseille.
Dimitrov routed the American in the first set 6-1, breaking Korda's serve twice. The second set was much more competitive and went into a tiebreaker, which the Bulgarian won 7-5.
After the victory, Grigor Dimitrov delighted the crowd with a touching gesture. The 32-year-old climbed up the ledge of the court to meet a disabled fan in the stands. Dimitrov also gifted the fan his wristband and clicked pictures with him.
You can watch the video below:
Dimitrov was happy about his performance against Korda and especially pleased about his display and shotmaking in the first set. In the second set, he said Korda took advantage of the slight opening presented to him to keep himself in the contest.
“I think the first set was amazing. Honestly, whatever I was touching was getting to the right place and in matches like that sometimes it is very difficult to maintain it throughout the two sets,” said Dimitrov in his on-court interview.
“In the second he had one look, and he took it. The game he broke me, amazing returns and just amazing play overall. So he kind of took the ball away from my racquet, and I had to find a way to get back,” he added.
The Bulgarian veteran will continue his title hunt at Open 13 in the third round, where he will face either No. 8 seed Jiri Lehecka or local player Arthur Rinderknech.
Grigor Dimitrov won his first ATP Tour title in six years at Brisbane International 2024
Grigor Dimitrov began 2024 on the best note possible as he lifted his ninth ATP Tour-level title at the 2024 Brisbane International. This was his first tour title since his triumph at the 2017 ATP Finals in London.
As the No. 2 seed, Dimitrov ousted three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, Daniel Altmaier, Rinky Hijikata, Jordan Thompson and top seed Holger Rune to win the 250-level tournament. The Bulgarian only dropped one set on the way to the title.
The World No. 13 had an unceremonious exit at the 2024 Australian Open, losing to Nuno Borges of Portugal in the third round. Dimitrov had defeated Marton Fucsovics and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the initial rounds in Melbourne.