'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Grigor Dimitrov will play his first ATP 1000-level final since 2017 after qualifying for the title contest at the 2023 Paris Masters.
The Bulgarian beat No. 7 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in an intense three-set contest to book his place in the final. Dimitrov took the first set of the one-handed backhand battle, only for Tsitsipas to level the score via a second-set tiebreaker. Dimitrov needed to win the third set tiebreaker to clinch the semifinal, 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) and end his ATP Masters 1000 final drought.
The match on November 5 will be the biggest opportunity for the 32-year-old to win his first title on the ATP Tour since the 2017 ATP Finals. However, he has had opportunities to break the dry spell at the 2018 Rotterdam Open and the 2023 Geneva Open.
Grigor Dimitrov knows he has had chances to take his career to the next level and has missed them repeatedly. However, in his post-match press conference after beating Tsitsipas, he clarified he has accepted his past failure and wants to forget about the missed opportunities.
Right now, the Bulgarian aims to focus on another chance that he has mustered after intense hard work.
"I want to win or lose on my own terms. That brings me back again to another point, how everything has been happening on and off the court in my life is the same thing. I can control my attitude, and I don't want to feel sorry for myself for the past years. I don't want to feel like I have missed opportunities. Yes, have I? Yeah, of course, too many, if you ask me. Have I made mistakes? Yes, too many," he said.
"There comes a point where it's like, okay, I'm accepting all that had been thrown at me, what I had to face, and I continue. I get to have another chance. So when you get that chance, try to use it. So I'm trying to give myself a chance," he added.
Grigor Dimitrov to face Novak Djokovic in Paris Masters final
The only thing standing between Grigor Dimitrov and his ninth ATP Tour title is Novak Djokovic. The Serb, seeded No. 1, defeated Andrey Rublev, 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5, in the other semifinal on November 4 to enter the final of the hardcourt tournament. Djokovic is also a record six-time Paris Masters champion.
Over the years, Grigor Dimitrov and Novak Djokovic have butted heads 12 times, and the latter has an overwhelming lead of 11-1 in head-to-head. Their most recent encounter came at the Rome Masters earlier in May, where the 24-time Grand Slam dispatched the Bulgarian, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
At Paris Masters, Grigor Dimitrov has so far defeated the likes of Lorenzo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik, Hubert Hurkacz, and Tsitsipas. He would hope to ride this great form when he faces a familiar foe on Sunday.
