The Bulgarian was forced to retire from his match against Tiafoe.
Grigor Dimitrov’s bid to reach a fourth major semi-final, and his first since 2019, ended in disappointment on Tuesday at the US Open. The former World No. 3 was forced to retire during his match against Frances Tiafoe in the fourth set. Dimitrov, trailing 3-6, 7-6(5), 3-6, 1-4, walked to the net to concede the match.
Afterwards, Dimitrov explained his decision to retire, citing a mix of factors. “It's a combination of everything,” he said. Dimitrov had won a grueling three-hour, 39-minute five-set match in the previous round against Andrey Rublev. “Clearly, my rehab process is a little bit slower than before. I felt a couple of things prior to the match. It’s just the game, and I need to keep my head up."
He continued, "I just need to reassess certain things that I can change, maybe do a little bit better, especially physically, in how I’ve been preparing. Given all the circumstances from Montreal up until now, I wasn't really sure I'd be able to perform as well as I wanted. That’s why I'm taking this quarter-final as a positive."
Dimitrov, who exited in the third round in Montreal and lost his opening match in Cincinnati, rebounded in New York to reach his second major quarter-final of the season, following his Roland Garros run. However, physical issues have plagued him in the later stages of majors, including a first-set retirement against Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
While determined to learn from these challenges, Dimitrov acknowledged the mental toll it takes. “It doesn't get easier, I tell you that much. But when you've done certain things a certain way throughout your career, moments outside of tennis really humble you. When something like this happens, it hurts, but I don't want to just brush it off."
He added, "I have a lot of exciting things ahead. I'm going to get home, rest a little, and then head to Asia to finish the year. Of course, I want to be here fighting for the trophy, but there's always a brighter future. Will I hurt? Yes, for sure, and it should. But I also want to reassess everything I’ve been through these past few weeks and figure out what I can improve.”
Dimitrov leaves New York still in contention to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time since winning the prestigious year-end event in 2017. Currently 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, he trails eighth-placed Alex de Minaur by 470 points, with De Minaur set to play Jack Draper in the US Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.
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