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Grigor Dimitrov took delight in his defeat of Mackenzie McDonald at the Citi Open by stating that every win was important for him considering he isn't a young player anymore.
Dimitrov and McDonald locked horns in the opening round at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in Washington on Tuesday, August 1. In a match that lasted one hour and 29 minutes, he emerged victorious with a 7-6 (6), 6-2 scoreline. With the win, he now holds a 2-1 lead in his head-to-head with McDonald.
The Bulgarian was very effective against the American, winning 67 points to McDonald's 52. He was also very good with his serves, winning 86% of the points (32/37) behind his first serve and 60% of the points (12/20) on his second serve. He also converted both the breakpoints that came his way.
In his on-court interview after the match, Dimitrov expressed satisfaction with the result and stated that he is focusing on making himself play better with the help of his team.
“I’m not a spring chicken anymore. Which puts things in perspective for me. Now I can focus a bit on myself, the things I can do better. I have a good team as well. Everyone is doing the right thing,” he saidi(via Tennis TV).
Grigor Dimitrov's 2023 season: A recap
Grigor Dimitrov kickstarted his 2023 season by representing Bulgaria at the United Cup in Brisbane, where he played two round-robin matches, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas before losing to David Goffin. Later, at the Australian Open, he reached the third round with wins against Aslan Karatsev and Laslo Djere before losing to eventual winner Novak Djokovic.
The former World No. 3 reached the semifinals at the Rotterdam Open with wins against Aslan Karatsev, Hubert Hurkacz, and Alex de Minaur before Daniil Medvedev stopped him in his tracks.
Dimitrov then failed to make deep runs in several tournaments across Marseille, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome. He then bounced back at the ATP 250 Geneva Open, reaching the final with victories against Roberto Carballes Baena, Christopher O'Connell, and Taylor Fritz. However, he had to settle for a runner-up finish after a straight-sets defeat to Nicolas Jarry in the final.
The World No. 20 had a decent grasscourt wing, reaching the Queen's Club Championships (lost to Carlos Alcaraz) and the Round of 16 at the Wimbledon Championships (lost to Holger Rune).
The 32-year-old is currently in action at the Citi Open, where his best result remains a quarterfinal finish in 2013. Dimitrov will next face either Emil Ruusuvuori or 10th seed Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round in Washington.
