"Toughest player was Roger Federer, once I wanted to dig a hole & disappear" - Grigor Dimitrov suggests facing Jannik Sinner doesn't compare to Swiss

Grigor Dimitrov has indicated that facing Jannik Sinner doesn't elicit the same feelings as facing Roger Federer, despite his resounding loss to the Italian in the 2024 Miami Open final.

Sinner clinched his second ATP Masters 1000 title in dominant fashion, beating Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 in an hour and 14 minutes in the final in Miami. With his triumph, the Italian dethroned Carlos Alcaraz to achieve a career-high ranking of World No. 2, becoming the first Italian man to achieve the feat.

Following his loss, Grigor Dimitrov was asked how Jannik Sinner stacked up against the best players he has faced in their prime. The Bulgarian promptly named Roger Federer as his toughest opponent, recalling a Wimbledon encounter against the 20-time Grand Slam champion where he simply wanted to vanish from the court.

"I know for me I was going to say the toughest player that I have played at his absolute prime was Roger. Just too funny, actually. I remember a few times even at Wimbledon, once I remember it was just -- I wanted to dig a hole and disappear (smiling)," Grigor Dimitrov said in his post-match press conference.

Dimitrov admitted that no other player had evoked such strong feelings from him, despite his resounding loss to Sinner in the Miami Open final, disclosing that he "suffered" against Federer the most.

"I haven't had that feeling yet against anyone, so I will leave it at that, I guess. Yeah, probably that's going to be the player I felt like, yeah, I suffered the most with," he added.

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"I don't feel the need to compare Jannik Sinner to any other player" - Grigor Dimitrov on Italian's level mirroring that of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

Jannik Sinner (left) and Grigor Dimitrov

During the same press conference, Grigor Dimitrov fielded a question about how Jannik Sinner's level compares with that of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

However, the Bulgarian dismissed the need for such comparisons and simply expressed his admiration for the Italian's "outstanding" level of play.

"I think at the moment clearly Jannik is playing, I mean, outstanding tennis. There is nothing to say to that. You see how focused he is, how determined he is, the way he's hitting his shots, there is zero doubt, so a lot of that level, it's extremely high up," Grigor Dimitrov said.

"I don't feel the need to compare him to any other player or any player, for that matter. I think it's just clearly that's his time of, you know, like, prime tennis that he's playing," he added.

Dimitrov also credited the 22-year-old for his consistent performances and hailed him as the best player in the world at the moment.

"Can he play any better? I don't know. He's the one to show that. But at the moment that he's been able to really put so many matches back to back with the same level, so all credit goes to him. And he is the best player right now in the world," he said.