"Whatever I say doesn’t do it justice, I fight my own battles now" - Grigor Dimitrov elated after 'cherry on the cake' return to top 10 after 5 years

Grigor Dimitrov booked his spot in the final of the 2024 Miami Open on Friday, defeating Alexander Zverev in the semifinals in a 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 see-saw battle. With the win, the Bulgarian also confirmed his return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings after more than five years.

After a career-best spell in 2017 and 2018 where he reached as high as World No. 3, Dimitrov has been languishing outside the top 10 for the last few years. Since getting out of the top 10 in October 2018, his now ranking of No. 12 is the closest the 32-year-old has come to re-joining the crème de la crème of the men's tennis world since.

Now, with the win over Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov will leap over Hubert Hurkacz to become World No. 9 come Monday, regardless of how he fares in the final on Sunday. Speaking at his on-court interview afterward, Dimitrov opened up about the physical and mental toll the journey of re-entering the top 10 took on him over the last 65 months.

The 32-year-old emphasized that it was a battle he couldn't do justice to by putting into words, adding at the same time that he and his team put in a lot of work behind the scenes to help him get to where he is today.

What was important was the fact that he kept believing and having faith in himself, helped as well by his family and close friends who kept pushing him in the right direction. An elated Dimitrov closed it out by asserting that the main ingredient along the way was "love", with a return to the top 10 simply being a much-deserved cherry on top of the cake.

“Whatever I say doesn’t do it justice. For me, I fight my own battles now. I run my own race. All that comes with the work we all put in as a team. I’m at a very different path in my life and my career. A lot was done. A lot of work. A lot of everything behind it. So I don’t want to go too far back. There’s no reason for it," Grigor Dimitrov said.

"I kept on believing. I kept on thriving. I kept on having faith in myself. When I didn’t believe in myself enough, all the team around me was constantly pushing me in the right direction. I had very good discipline. My family was by my side and all the close friends. It’s all love [at] the end of the day. This is just a cherry on the cake," he added.

Grigor Dimitrov takes on Jannik Sinner in Miami Open final

Miami Open Presented by Itau 2024 - Day 14

For a shot at the title in Miami, Grigor Dimitrov will take on Jannik Sinner in the final of the Masters 1000 event on Sunday. While Dimitrov needed three sets to break Alexander Zverev, Sinner did it in straights against Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of Friday, earning an easy 6-1, 6-2 win.

The duo have faced off thrice in the past, with Sinner winning their last two meetings on the trot. Both Sinner and Dimitrov will be going for their maiden Miami Open title, with the Italian looking to reach a career-high World No. 2 ranking if he prevails.