Less practice & fewer videos! Dimitrov’s secret in Miami

Grigor Dimitrov set out on the path to victory in his quarter-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz at the Miami Open presented by Itau the day before the match even started — by searching for the video of their last encounter.

“I was about to press play, and I stopped,” explained the Bulgarian.

Less planning certainly reaped its rewards; on Thursday he defeated the Spaniard in straight sets to progress to the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.

💪 @GrigorDimitrov 💪@MiamiOpen | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/HipUive25h

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 29, 2024

Dimitrov could have given in to the temptation of watching what he did six months ago in Shanghai to defeat Alcaraz, the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Instead, he decided to relax and trust his instincts once he set foot on court at Hard Rock Stadium.

“I told myself there was no need to watch it because every match is very different. The courts are different, as is the weather,” said the World No. 12. “I just wanted to go out on court with a clean slate and start to build from the first point, but without simply putting the ball in play and seeing what he was going to do.

“I tried to hurt him every time I had the chance, and that simplicity allowed me to grow as the match advanced.”

The 32-year-old Dimitrov has given his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz a new look. Having lost his first three ties with the Murcia native — all in straight sets — he has now taken the last two matches in their rivalry.

Furthermore, his win on Thursday only required one hour and 32 minutes on court. Nobody else has taken Alcaraz down that quickly in 2024 (in completed matches). The defeat was the Spaniard’s second fastest at a Masters 1000, with only his 2021 loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid (one hour, 17 minutes) clocking up fewer minutes. So impressive was the Bulgarian’s performance that Alcaraz later told the press he was made to feel “as if I were 13 years old”.

So, did Dimitrov have any other tricks up his sleeve that allowed him to produce such a feat? Yes — he practised less than at other tournaments.

“I barely trained in the last two or three days because the conditions are very different during the day. Sometimes this tournament has been kind to me, others it has not. My relationship with this event has been very interesting,” said the Bulgarian, who had never progressed past the fourth round in Miami before this year.

“You always try to focus on what works. Now I’m trying something different, and now I feel like ‘OK; I’m finally doing something well’, and I’m sticking with it, while still being as professional as possible. After playing for many years, you learn a few things.”

Despite his achievement, Dimitrov had little time to celebrate. No sooner had he notched up his 19th win against a Top 5 opponent than he was thinking about how to get a 20th in Friday's semi-final clash with World No. 5 Alexander Zverev.

“To be honest, I’ve already changed my mentality and I’m thinking about tomorrow’s match,” explained Dimitrov on Thursday night. “I’ll try to keep sharp because you have limited time to celebrate. It’s important to stay in the moment. That’s the great thing about our sport.”

Dimitrov trails Zverev 1-7 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and has not beaten him since 2014 in Basel. One thing that is certain is that he won’t be watching any of his previous encounters with the German to see what he needs to change or keep the same. Resisting the play button has served the Bulgarian well so far.

“Today I did everything as simply as possible,” he said. “I hope to do the same tomorrow.”

Editor’s note: This story has been translated from ATPTour.com/es