"Serena Williams gave me a good pep talk yesterday" - Grigor Dimitrov 'thrilled' to have American attend his US Open 4R encounter 

Despite retiring in 2022, Serena Williams' love for tennis hasn’t dwindled. She was present at Grigor Dimitrov's 2024 US Open fourth-round clash against Andrey Rublev. Following Dimitrov's victory, he shared that the American tennis legend gave him a pep talk when they met the day before.

On Sunday, (September 1) at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Grigor Dimitrov leveled the head-to-head tally between him and Andrey Rublev by defeating the Russian 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 to book a place in the tournament's quarterfinals.

Serena Williams and Grigor Dimitrov have been good friends over the years, and the former was in the stands cheering the Bulgarian throughout the five-set thriller. Following the match, Dimitrov was asked during an on-court interview if he gets nervous knowing that Serena Williams came to watch his match. In response, he stated that he never gets nervous in front of her and that the former World No.1 gave him a good pep talk the day before.

“for some reason not in front of her. She gave me a good pep talk yesterday. Yeah, I know exactly, I'm thrilled it's amazing to play again in front of you guys, in front of friends and family. So all in all, it's a tremendous atmosphere, here so thank you for the support.” - Grigor Dimitrov said

This marks the 33-year-old’s second Grand Slam quarterfinal of the season, following his run to the French Open quarterfinals in June, where Jannik Sinner defeated him. Dimitrov's best US Open performance was in 2019 when he advanced to the semifinals but was ousted by Daniil Medvedev.

Serena Williams also gave Grigor Dimitrov a pep talk before his 2024 Miami Open semifinal

Grigor Dimitrov and Serena Williams practice session att the 2022 US Open - Source: Getty

Back in March, during a Tennis Channel interview following his semifinal victory over Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov opened up about his friendship with Serena Williams and how she gave him a pep talk before the match, saying:

"Yeah, she came to me like, 'I don't wanna distract you, I don't wanna distract you, but I gotta tell you something.' It was just like one sentence, you know, she always knows what to tell me, I think," Grigor Dimitrov told Tennis Channel. "In any given moment, I think, my friendship with her means so much to me." Dimitrov said (6:20)

He then added that it was humbling to always have Williams' support and that moments like that keep him going.

“And been able to keep it that way throughout the years, and of course, having her coming to watch me like, 'I don't wanna distract you.' I was like, 'You actually helped me!' So, you know, again it's very humbling... those are the moments that keep me going.” - He added

Dimitrov eventually, lost in the final to Italy's Jannik Sinner. The Bulgarian has been in fine form in 2024, climbing back to No. 9 in the ATP rankings, which is his first return to the top 10 since 2017. He began the 2024 season with a victory over Holger Rune in the final of the Brisbane International, securing the ninth title of his career.