THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2026

Grigor Dimitrov

Press Conference

A. FERY/G. Dimitrov

7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Grigor, appreciate a difficult one this afternoon. If you could just talk us through the match this afternoon.

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I mean, what can I say? Is a tough match, for sure. He definitely deserved to win today. Yeah, the night goes for him, so it's all about him tonight really. Not much from my end to say. Congrats.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you think you struggled with the most in your game today? What do you think you struggled with the most coming from Arthur's game?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I did a lot of mistakes today. Just too many mistakes, honestly.

I think when I was ahead, I wasn't able to solidify my lead. I was just simply like -- my focus was also not as good as I wanted to. Again, I could sit here and give you another, like, 15 other things that went wrong for me, but this is the situation.

I'm going to keep the head up, yeah, keep moving forward. Hopefully I can get some more matches and the body recovers well. That's that.

I mean, he's a great fighter. He fought, I think, throughout the whole match. He grabbed the match, for sure. So yeah.

Q. I know obviously the crowd were majority in favor of Arthur, but it was an electric atmosphere in there. Having been through what you've been through over the last six months, to play on Court 1, on Centre twice, what kind of emotions does that give you?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Yeah, I'm charged up with that type of emotions, that's for sure. Again, it's been such a great journey this last almost two weeks for me, because I came a little bit later.

Of course, I'm disappointed. I'm not going to lie. Yeah, it's going to sting for a while. That's just how it is. That's the name of the game when matches like that don't go your way.

I wish I had more in the tank also to apply or to maybe do something different. Of course, could have, should have, would have. It's the case.

Yeah, it's just one of those matches as well where I really think I struggled with multiple things today.

But again, listen, I'm grateful for these matches that I've gotten so far. The crowd, atmosphere, everything, as you mentioned.

So I have to try to remain as positive as I can.

Q. 52 weeks to the day today since what happened. Same round, same court. The fact that you were able to play such a great five-setter, receive the ovation, do you now leave with happier memories this time around?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I don't know. Happier memories? Well, leaving the court with a loss again, it's not so happy. But I'm going to choose to see it as a happy moment.

Again, every match that I've played so far has been filled with so many emotions. Yeah, it's sad. For sure it's sad. Of course, I wanted to do well, like even better. Who knows what might have happened.

At least now I know that I just didn't have enough in me to make it happen. Listen, I'm going to try again. I truly believe that I have some more moments like that in me. I just need to find a way to turn it into my favor.

Also, I cannot just flip the switch after 52 weeks and expect to play lights out. I have to fight even more right now, more than before. I have to put a lot of more effort than before.

Everything kind of doubles up for me from now on. I need to be very, I think, selective with everything that I do on and off the court so I can give myself the best chance.

Q. Did he surprise you at all with his level, and also the way he handled the occasion?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: To be honest, no. No, no, no. I've seen him play. I know that he's a fighter. He always plays till the end. I think he just went and grabbed the match when important moments came through. He went for it. That's as simple as that for me, the way I see it, from outside.

Again, I did a lot of unforced errors today - like a lot. But again, you still have to go ahead and win the match.

I think, of course, the crowd, the atmosphere, everything helped for him. I'm happy for him. This one will be a memorable one. The night goes for him.

Q. You just said you were willing to be a bit more selective on and off the court in the upcoming months. Does that mean you will play less tournaments than you used to do?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: We'll see. We'll see. Yet for us to reassess with the team what needs to be done. Of course, I just need to see where I'm at physically. I think, yeah, the last, I would say four, five weeks has been non-stop for me. It's a very, yeah, interesting place where I'm at I think overall.

So let's see. I mean, but I also, in the same time, I need to work a lot on my physicality to be able to stay strong on the court for longer period of time.

Now it's a grass court. You can play for four hours, you feel kind of all right. Once you step on the hard courts again, you need to have more in the legs, more practice, more of everything.

Let's see where the next journey is for us. We sure have to be.

Q. One of the things Novak has said, I know he's a few years older than you, he has talked about how he perhaps doesn't have quite as much in the tank in back-to-back matches as he used to. He wants to win a little more efficiently. Do you feel that in your legs when you get into a match like this today?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: Of course you do. I mean, the night after Matteo's match, I went to bed at 3:00 in the morning. That's how it is. That's, in a way, the cards I was dealt that day. That's what I'm saying.

That goes to say also for my mentality, where I'm at. I just really want to make sure that I'm very present with what I do and try to overcome any obstacle that comes ahead of me.

Again, today, I know I had to do more. I just couldn't. That is okay. Like from that aspect, I know I've done everything I can possibly can. But then I can say in certain moments I could have actually played differently. So you see those are two very different things.

I just need to maybe try to find how can I find a more compact and like together line to make sure that I execute better, cut down the unforced errors, maybe try different way of serving.

There's a lot of things that I have to, like, look into of course from now on. Again, I feel much better than where I was like in the past months physically. I think that gives me quite a bit of confidence.

Of course, as I said, the older you get, the more of everything you have to do. You need to not only be more selective, but you need to find a way how to practice and prepare mentally. Those two things actually going to go more and more hand-in-hand rather than just focusing on one thing at a time.

Q. At this stage of your career, what are the goals that you have set out for yourself, if any? Also, you talked about what you kind have potentially done differently today. At this stage, is it less about adding new tools to your game and maximizing the tools you have already?

GRIGOR DIMITROV: I think it's too late to add any tools right now (smiling). Actually, I mean it in a nice way. I don't want to sound like that.

I mean, I know my game pretty well with some of my strongest parts of the game. You just need to be able to do it better for longer period of time. In a way it's simple as that.

But there's for sure things I feel that I can try to do different. I think it's yet for me to try. I think I wasn't able in the past months to do so because I haven't had matches. Also physically, I'm not sure I had like a good tennis level.

There were a lot of moving components where I knew that all I had to do is just play a basic game in order for me to get back where I'm at right now. Now I can start thinking of that next step I have to do.

Again, of course the goal has always been for me to win a slam. That goal has never disappeared. Will I do it? I don't know. But I think I'm giving myself chances like that today. Overall, moments like that in a slam is where it might come.

But again, I cannot just show up and turn it on. That's the other thing, as I've been saying. Yeah, I can just say that I'll keep on trying for sure to find like an extra edge for the future, see where it takes me.