Australian Open: Grigor Dimitrov gets his career back on track

As Grigor Dimitrov bounces through the halls of Melbourne Park, it’s hard to imagine he was struggling six months ago.

Grigor Dimitrov celebrates his win over Belgium’s David Goffin. Picture: Wayne Ludbey.

As Grigor Dimitrov bounced, carefree, through the corridors of Melbourne Park on Wednesday night, it was hard to imagine this was a star struggling just six months ago.

After defeating David Goffin to reach a grand slam semi-final for just the second time in a career that promised so much early, the 25-year-old Bulgarian was buoyed by his form and achievement.

After completing a press conference, he received a handshake from tournament director Craig Tiley as they crossed paths near the players’ locker room.

Spying a camera, Dimitrov raced up to it and thrust his face right up to the lens, clearly in glee. More television interviews beckoned in the media garden.

There the French Open doubles champion Kristina Mladenovic interrupted one chat to congratulate him.

He was still considering a request from his new coach, Daniel Vallverdu, to head to the arcade to play some games. This is a new habit, but a worthwhile pursuit, for the Brisbane International winner is unbeaten this summer.

Asked by one television interviewer how much he was enjoying this Australian Open, which Dimitrov continues tonight in a semi-final against Rafael Nadal, Dimitrov said: “A lot. Right now, a lot. It is not every day you get through to the semi-final of a slam.”

The contrast with last July is stark. Wimbledon has always been a touchstone for Dimitrov and so it proved again in 2016.

The All England Club is where he won a major junior crown in 2008. It is where he was anointed as a champion of the future after a stirring run to the semi-finals in 2014 that included a defeat of Andy Murray and the narrowest of losses to Novak Djokovic.

But more importantly, with a view to tonight and the future, it is where he recalibrated his career last year.

The man who expected so much, of whom so much was expected, had just been beaten by Steve Johnson, a handy if unspectacular American, in the third round.

Dimitrov was ranked 37. He had not won a title in almost three years. Nor had he come close to reaching another grand slam semi-final since 2014. A major reassessment was needed.

“Wimbledon last year was the point where I pulled back and thought ‘What’s going to happen?’,” he told The Australian. “Not just with my career, but with my team and how I wanted things to be done. That was a little bit of a setback for me.”

The addition of a coach was critical and the right-hander joined forces with Vallverdu, Murray’s friend and former coach, during the North American swing.

An approach was decided upon. Simplicity. Dimitrov needed to know that, on sleeping, he has done everything possible to better himself. Back when the Bulgarian won the Wimbledon juniors, he would commute for 90 minutes daily via the Tube.

That may sound a hassle to Londoners, but this was life before the fame, riches and expectations.

Before he was dubbed “Baby Fed” by virtue of his tennis and appearance, a tag that soon wore thin, particularly as his form stagnated. There was joy in the simple things like commuting, or more recently, the arcade games.

“I kept believing in my game. I kept believing in myself, which was important,” he said.

“I am ready to do everything to contribute to myself and my tennis. I want to try everything to know that I have been out there and I have given 100 per cent of myself, whether I win or lose.

“I want to be able to put my head on the pillow and know that I have done everything possible.” The combination showed promise late last season and the pair, along with fitness trainer Sebastien Durand, continued working through the off-season.

Dimitrov, who has been on the road for more than half his life, also has been able to spend time with his mother, Maria, who treated him to regular home-cooked meals.

“Those kind of moments (haven’t) surpassed me. I appreciate that so much. I appreciate their time,” he said.

“I have been independent ever since I left the country when I was 12 years old. I have been living on my own ever since then. When they are able to do something like that, I am just so happy.

“I don’t get the chance to see (my parents) often. I haven’t been home in more than a year. Nothing in life is more important in life for me. Everything is temporary, except for family.”