Daily Times

Grigor Dimitrov is set to climb back into the top 10 for the first time since 2018 after beating Alexander Zverev on Friday to seal a spot in the Miami Open final, with the Bulgarian saying he is finally reaping the rewards of his hard work.

Dimitrov had been touted as a potential winner of the biggest prizes in tennis since becoming Wimbledon junior champion in 2008 with a style likened to that of Roger Federer, but the 32-year-old has yet to live up to his early promise. However, he has been in fine form in recent weeks, defeating top-10 players Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz at the Miami Open, before claiming a 6-4 6-7(4) 6-4 win over fifth-ranked Zverev in the semi-final. “I think the consistency of beating top players, that to me is a bigger success than anything else,” Dimitrov told reporters after his win. “If you do that, you get the ranking. If you do that, things are just getting better for you… I think the discipline brought me to this moment. There is nothing else. I didn’t kind of deviate from my target.