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Quite a buzz surrounding Dimitrov

Bulgarian starlet Grigor Dimitrov believes it’s unfair to draw comparisons between him and the modern-day greats of the game at this fledgling stage of his career.

There is quite a buzz surrounding this 19-year-old prodigy, with many pundits predicting big things from him in 2011 as he spearheads a new generation of talented youngsters towards the very top.

However, the 2008 Wimbledon and US Open junior champion insists there is still a fair way to go before he can realistically be judged alongside the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

“There are so many things,” Dimitrov replied when asked what needs to be implemented into his game to transfer that much-hyped success on the junior circuit across to the men’s tour.

“You cannot identify one particular factor because those guys have been on the tour five, six, seven, eight and even 10 years.

“It’s very early and tough to compare with the top three guys, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, and all of the others. There’s a lot to learn from them and I always like to watch their matches.

“You can always learn something, but the best thing is if you can experience it all by yourself and just come out on court and do your own stuff.

“It doesn’t work every time, so you just have to take the best out of it, just be focused and – if you lose – don’t lose the lesson.

“I don’t put time frames on myself. I’m just heading down a path right now and I want to follow it because everything is different from the juniors to the seniors; the ball comes through maybe three or four times faster and, if you make easy errors, it’s tough and that’s it for you during the match.

“You’ve got to learn every detail of what it’s like for you being on the court, and outside of it as well, at this level. I guess it’s going to take a bit of time.”

Dimitrov is no stranger to high expectations though, with the weight he puts on his own shoulders occasionally making his professional life even harder than it already is.

“I sometimes put a bit of pressure on myself that shouldn’t be there,” the Haskovo-based player admitted.

“It shouldn’t get in the way between me & my game because I’ve been practicing hard; I’ve put in the serious hours on the practice courts and I just wanted to get out and perform and for everything to pay off.

“Monday wasn’t one of those days, so I shouldn’t be too hard on myself and start over again on Tuesday, keep practicing with even more hours on court and work on things that didn’t work.”

Meanwhile, Dimitrov has described his participation in this week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as a “good experience,” in spite of an early exit at the hands of the far more experienced Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, 6-2, 6-4 on Monday afternoon.

“It was great to come out from the qualifying rounds and play on Centre Court considering this is my first time here,” he explained.

“It was the first time as well that I’ve played against (Richard) Gasquet and I was happy at least to have that experience at this early stage of my career.

“To go out on a court like that, with the whole atmosphere and everything else, was very nice, and it made me happy to play.

“But, my game couldn’t quite catch up with my expectations and the way that I wanted to present myself on court, even though the score was like that. It was a good experience and learning curve.”

alex@khaleejtimes.com