WATCH: Grigor Dimitrov in stitches on hearing Carlos Alcaraz's honest admission of feeling 13 after being crushed by Bulgarian in Miami Open QF
Grigor Dimitrov was in stitches after hearing what Carlos Alcaraz had to say following the Bulgarian's Miami Open quarterfinal win over the Spaniard.
After the match, Alcaraz laid bare to the press how Dimitrov's dominance had made him feel like a 13-year-old. The Spaniard also said that he and his team were unable to find even a single weakness in the Bulgarian's game on the night.
"I have a lot of frustrations right now, because he made me feel like I'm 13 years old (smiling). You know, it was crazy. I was talking to my team saying that I don't know what I have to do. I don't know his weakness. I don't know anything," Alcaraz said (via ATPTour.com).
Later, the ATP World No. 2's words were relayed to Dimitrov during the Bulgarian's presser. Upon hearing what Alcaraz had to say, Dimitrov burst out into hysterical laughter. After he had stopped laughing, he said with a wide smile:
"That's a great comment." (via Tennis TV on X).
The quarterfinal saw Dimitrov take the aggressive route to counter Alcaraz's electric ability to dictate points. As a result, the Spaniard could never really settle. The Bulgarian hit 24 winners and also employed a variety of styles to stay unpredictable throughout the contest, which ended 6-2, 6-4 in his favor.
Dimitrov is set to face Alexander Zverev in the Miami Open semifinals. If the Bulgarian manages to get the better of Zverev, he would not only reach the final, but also become a top-10 player again.
Dimitrov's last top 10 ranking was World No. 8 in 2018, but he dropped out of the top 10 in 2019 after sustaining a shoulder injury and a drastic dip in form. The Bulgarian's highest ranking was World No. 3, which he achieved in late 2017.
Grigor Dimitrov has an abysmal head-to-head record against Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev leads Grigor Dimitrov 7-1 in the pair's head-to-head record. The Bulgarian's sole victory against the German came in their first meeting in 2014 at the Swiss Indoors Basel.
Dimitrov and Zverev have faced each other in four ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. The German has won on all four occasions; 2016 Indian Wells Masters (Round of 64), 2016 Italian Open (Round of 64), 2021 Paris Masters (Round of 16), and 2023 Cincinnati Masters (Round of 64).
The pair's last encounter came in the semifinals of the 2023 Chengdu Open, where Zverev won 6-3, 7-6(2). The German reached this year's Miami Open semis after beating Fabian Maroszan in the quarters.