BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 3, 2026

Grigor Dimitrov

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We were just saying it's your tenth appearance here. Also, you have won here in the past. Obviously you have great memories, a great offseason. How are you feeling coming in this year.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Good. I think every time that I'm able to compete at beginning of the year, it's always very good for me. Clearly I wasn't able to compete towards the end of last year, but, you know, I'm coming into Australia with a great hope and excitement that I can play a full year. This is going to be, in a way, my goal. Yeah, staying free of injuries, which was again first for me an experience, but I guess, as a player, it's lovely I think to experience every aspect of the game, and I think naturally have so far. But very grateful to be back.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. We have to ask, this is your second tournament back after your injury that you suffered at Wimbledon. How are you feeling physically? What's been the process of getting to this point?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I mean, again, I feel good being able to compete again. I think it was my primary goal. I never wanted to go and play a tournament, knowing that I'm not going to be able to finish a tournament.

There has been a lot of, you know, heartaches in a way, like I think in the past year and a half, two, retiring from tournaments and quite a few slams, also.

Yeah, I was really focusing to make sure that I come back at the beginning of the year. I think the process of the recovery also took its time. I didn't want to rush. Even though I played in Paris, it was just more of to see where my arm was at, what I needed to do more.

I think also physically I was not up to speed. So there was just a lot of moving parts. But it was a great way for me to, yeah, to understand myself, to understand where my body is at I think physically and mentally. As we all know, those are the most important components in our game.

But yeah, now again, you know, like, I'm being able to put myself in a place where I can, you know, compete to a point where I don't have to be thinking much about any of that, and I think that gives me a great amount of freedom.

Q. Were there any silver linings in your time away from tennis, just having that extended time off?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Oh, yeah. I almost feel like too many. It was a good time. I mean, I got the chance to be home. Got the chance to travel but not for tennis. I got a chance to go on four holidays.

So overall, I was really able to, like, kind of distance myself from the sport. It also made me realize things that I like and things that I didn't realize I liked or I didn't like. So it was a very, yeah, very, like, sort of complete cycle of things that I did.

Eventually, I had also so much work to do. I was trying to schedule a new team, I was trying to add to more, you know, more people, trying to find a different way to practice. I still had, you know, my hands full, but yeah, I really had to be patient.

I think that was one of the -- I mean, I have always been very patient as a person, but this time I had to be more. It was a very, in a way, different approach towards things that I have ever done.

Q. As you say, most of the time when you travel in your life, it's been for tennis. Were there any sort of new places or experiences that you enjoyed the past few months?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Generally, I always live life very nice, and I have been very free. No, I think it was just more of the freedom of being able to navigate yourself through whatever it is and being there for the people you love. Just being able to experience life on a very basic level without having to do much or travel with three bags, making sure you go to bed at certain time.

So it was just more of, like, natural, like, habitat. I think for me that was one of the easiest thing to do, but of course like nature was calling and there was quite a few times where I really, I was, I've got to go back to my own ways with what you have been doing, and I think that's something I'm very happy with that I got to experience.

Q. I wanted to ask about the next generation of Bulgarians. Ivan and your cousin Alexander had quite a phenomenal season last year.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah.

Q. Can you discuss their rise a bit and how much of an influence or impact you're having on their development?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: It's great to see. Honestly, I think first and foremost, I think it's great to see that I think we're starting to have another generation. I think for me this has always been very important, especially from the country where we are from.

I mean, they have been playing great tennis, honestly. For me, this is I think the most important thing for us, because they have been able to back it up, you know, tournament after tournament, being the top of the rankings.

And now, where they, what is next for them, I really don't know. You know, I remember myself at that age. I know how things were, things were going. I know it's not going to be as easy, but I feel like they have the tenacity. I think they have the will. They are in a place where they can, how can I say, they can afford to push themself more. They also have the possibility to do that.

So they come from a very, I think, a good place where it sets them up for whatever the future holds for them. But again, they need to put in the work. They need to have those big wins and keep it up.

I always say, you know, tennis is not a sprint; tennis is a marathon. You need to be very precise and mindful, I always say, early on. I think this is very important, and not to rush in a sense.

But so far, from what I have seen, and it's been truly, I have been so happy to see this, honestly, like, being able to see, you know, the Bulgarian flag out there on both of them, playing at the junior slam finals, wow, I mean, this is all I can, I feel like all I can ask. I hope I have contributed in one way or the other to that.

I mean, of course for me it's always been a goal of mine to be a good role model in our country. Unfortunately we have not been able, like, very good at setting, like, an academy and stuff in our country. Unfortunately I really wish that was happening a little bit more and we had more help from, yeah, from the Federation and everything around. But it seems like these guys are on to something right now, and only time will tell.

But I think, again, one of the most important things is for them to stay healthy and to really pace themself at a good, yeah, at a good pace and making sure that they have the right people around.