Paris, June 3 (HS). Bulgaria's star tennis player Grigor Dimitrov has made it to the quarter-finals of the French Open 2024. Dimitrov defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a match that lasted two hours and 51 minutes and entered his first quarter-final at the clay-court major.
The 33-year-old has now reached the last eight in each of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
“It's very difficult to play against such a good friend. I've known him for many years. We practice a lot and we've spent a lot of time together. I knew it would be a difficult match, but I also knew I had to fight a lot,” Dimitrov said in his on-court interview, as quoted by the ATP.
“I always wanted to reach the second week. Roland Garros was the only Slam where I felt I couldn't take that extra step. But today, 15 years later, I did it, so I'm very happy with that,” he said.
When asked about his aesthetic style, Dimitrov said, “I think especially when you play on clay courts here, you have to create a picture with your tennis. You need to be clever and be able to read the court a bit. Clay courts are always very tricky, you never know what kind of conditions you will get.”
“I like my chances, I like when I can use my body a lot and chase balls around the court. Use my slice, use my variations. Also, when the ball is there to be hit, I try to make the most of it,” he said.
Dimitrov will face second seed Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals.