September 04, (THEWILL) – Grigor Dimitrov’s Grand Slam struggles continued at the 2024 US Open, where he retired from his quarter-final match against Frances Tiafoe due to a leg injury.
The 33-year-old Bulgarian was trailing 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 4-1 when he was forced to quit at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Dimitrov, seeded ninth in New York, had battled through a gruelling five-set match against Andrey Rublev in the previous round. The exertion appeared to take its toll, leaving him unable to compete at full strength against the 26-year-old American.
Despite winning his first ATP title since 2017 in Brisbane this January and reaching hardcourt finals in Marseille and Miami, Dimitrov has yet to progress beyond the semi-final stage at any Grand Slam event. His career has largely coincided with the dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Following the match, Dimitrov admitted that dealing with such setbacks does not become easier with time. However, he remains focused on future opportunities, including an exhibition match with Djokovic and upcoming tournaments in Asia to finish the year.
The Bulgarian player plans to assess his performance over the past few weeks to identify areas for improvement. He emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive outlook, stating that “time heals” as he looks ahead to the rest of the season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
