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Grigor Dimitrov Sees 2018 ATP World Tour Pullback

By Harry Floyd

BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 02: Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria serves to Tennys Sandgren of The United States during his Men's Singles first Round match of the 2018 China Open at the China National Tennis Centre on October 2, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Di Yin/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - OCTOBER 02: Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria serves to Tennys Sandgren of The United States during his Men's Singles first Round match of the 2018 China Open at the China National Tennis Centre on October 2, 2018 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Di Yin/Getty Images) /
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Bulgarian tennis star Grigor Dimitrov is ousted from the 2018 China Open. His exit symbolizes a tough, yet still impressive, year on tour.

Third seed at this year’s China Open, Bulgarian tennis star Grigor Dimitrov is ousted in the round of  16 by Dušan Lajović. The Serbian faces another tough matchup in Kyle Edmund next at the event. Dimitrov’s exit also comes as Juan Martin del Potro advances and seals his place at the end of year ATP Finals in London. Last year, Dimitrov took the title at the year end tournament.

Winning the 2017 ATP Finals was the icing on top of a career year for Dimitrov. 2018, however, has not gone the same way for the 27-year-old Bulgarian.

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Looking back at his 2017 ATP World Tour, Dimitrov notched four titles, including his win at the ATP Finals in London. Other wins came at Brisbane, Sofia, and Cincinnati.

The year marked his best yet on the ATP World Tour, surpassing a three-title win 2014. The end of 2017 saw Dimitrov rising to a career high world number three ranking in men’s singles tennis.

The 2018 ATP World Tour pullback for Grigor Dimitrov is nothing to be concerned with. After such a fantastic year in 2017, the Bulgarian has still put up a solid singles record as he remains in the ATP Top 10. It does not look like he will defend his ATP Finals title though.

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So far for the ATP Finals, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and now Juan Martin del Potro have earned their spots. Grigor Dimitrov is back in the 17th position in the Race to London. While his 2018 ATP World Tour has not matched up with his previous year, Dimitrov is still one of the best in men’s singles tennis. He will likely rebound from his hit and miss year and be a top contender come 2019.

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