Grigor Dimitrov will finish the 2017 ranked No. 3 in the world behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. With Nadal and Federer already out of the Nitto ATP Finals, the title was Dimitrov’s to win or lose.
He won it.
Capping off the best season of his career with his biggest title, the Bulgarian outlasted David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the London championship match on Sunday evening. Both players were contesting the most important final of their professional lives, and it was Dimitrov who survived a spirited effort by Goffin after two and half hours.
It was–thankfully for fans inside the O2 Arena–a far cry from had transpired between Dimitrov and Goffin just four days earlier. In a Wednesday afternoon round-robin battle, Dimitrov dominated the Belgian 6-0, 6-2 in less than half the time (one hour and 13 minutes) it took for him to finish off Goffin in the final. A much different Goffin showed up on Sunday, clearly taking confidence from having scored his first-ever win over Federer via a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision in the semifinals. That made Goffin just the sixth player in history to beat both Nadal and Federer in the same tournament.
The previous five combined to accomplish the Nadal-Federer double 11 times, and on all 11 occasions they went home with the winner’s trophy. Goffin almost made it 12 for 12.
With momentum in hand after leveling the match at a set apiece, the world No. 8 made a push to take control early in the third. Goffin generated four break points, but he sent a backhand past the baseline on one and watched Dimitrov hit three unreturned serves on the others. The seventh seed saved a break point, himself, in the next game before the final turning point came at 2-3. Dimitrov missed a break chance at 30-40, fought off two game points, and then broke for 4-2 on his second opportunity when Goffin erred on a backhand.
Still, there was more drama to be had. Goffin somehow managed to survive a triple match point situation at 2-5, 0-40. He ended up winning five straight points to hold before saving a fourth championship point with a forehand winner at 5-4, 40-15. Dimitrov finally crossed the finish line on his fifth chance, when he scrambled to track down an approach shot and saw Goffin net the ensuing backhand drop-volley.
“Obviously (I was) a little nervous towards the end of the match, which is I think quite normal,” the 26-year-old admitted.
And why not? Of his seven previous titles, only one was of the Masters 1000 variety to go along with a pair of 500s.
“It’s a special event,” Dimitrov said of the year-end championship. “I mean, you don’t get the chance to play that…well, sometimes you get the chance to play that every year…but sometimes you don’t. For me, the way that the year has been, I felt I deserved to be here.”
Goffin felt the same way for himself–especially after ousting Nadal and Federer earlier in the week–but pointed out that his opponent deserved it, too.
“I think I deserve the win today, of course,” Goffin said. “But Grigor, also, he deserves the win. He was unbeatable this week. He played really great tennis; was really solid from the first match until the end. So he deserves completely to be here and to win the tournament. Even if I won against Rafa and Roger, I lost the final. But, anyway, it was a great week. I have no regrets after that match.”
great match, week, and season for both
Yes, happy for both. Well done! Goffin still has something to accomplish this coming weekend. All the best to him and his DC team mates.
I think Dimi is finally going to fulfil his potential, what he lacked in the past was mental focus and belief. He has his talent (all along he has that), physical fitness and now mental toughness too to close out big matches like those here. he will be hard to beat if he can continue to play this way.
This is tennis. Beautiful.
In the past I’ve never enjoyed WTFs very much – firstly I am not a fan of the RR format, secondly players are usually knackered by the time they get there they do not do themselves justice.
The arrival of Goffin (debutant participant) and Dimitrov (2nd time participant) put paid to my usual pessimism by providing some engrossing matches en route to the best final I can remember.
Nah, Dimi is debutant participant; Goffin is second time participant, he was first alternate last year and played a match replacing Monfils.
Thanks Lucky – my memory playing tricks as usual. 🙁
in an interview this week Goffin said it was his first time here. LOLOLOL.
i guess he really wanted to forget that match with Djokovic!!!
i like the format (until the last round of round-robins, when some of the matches are dead). other than that, it’s a nice change of pace from the norm.
as discussed earlier, the schedule needs to improve for the WTFs to improve.
Who’s to say one or both won’t win a Slam next year.
Dimitrov is now very close of his athletic peak. With the confidence boost from winning the greatest title of his career and getting his highest ranking so far, hopefully it turns him into a legit and consistent contender. I clearly see him with pretty decent shots next year at Slams, especially at AO.
I don’t really see Goffin winning a Slam on his career, because I don’t believe he has the X-factor to be a Major champion, that big weapon on his game. Also, you need to be extremely rock solid from both wings to win a Grand Slam. Goffin has a really good backhand but his forehand it’s a bit loopy sometimes, which his a big disadvantage when it comes to the baseline exchanges against the big guys, especially the Big Four.
But, the big four won’t be around forever! Goffin can still improve, and, the most important thing is his mental toughness and belief. He has to keep believing and never gives up.
I don’t see his gen and the next gen guys being as good as the big four; his way of taking the ball early and moving to the net to attack whenever he can will serve him well against his peers and the younger gen, whom sad to say, lack the varieties the big four guys possess. Goffin maybe can win a slam late in his career?
Maybe the French will be his best chance?
You’re right Lucky. Given the Big Four are in their thirties, he as a good shot at winning a Slam in the late stages of his career, but we gotta take into consideration that the next gen has a big room to improve and if they fulfill their potential, it’s gonna be very hard for Goffin to win a Slam.
If Goffin could handle Fed with his game, he could handle the less varied, more one dimensional games of the younger gen guys. It’s a matter of how often Goffin could produce that kind of game, maybe he could, for two weeks to win a slam?
It’s a daunting task for him. The Majors where he has performed better were AO and FO. He might have a shot there going into his late twenties or even at his thirties, you never know.
Dimitrov?
No, Herbert.
Goffin’s FH was so much better in London than it used to be. But yes, it generally has been weak. If he does get it consistent, he could win a slam–but he would need a lot of help from the opposition. He’s not one these guys who can just go out and catch fire a slug his way to a slam (Cilic 2014).
#ReturnOfTheWeakEra
#NoHeirToTheThrone
Interesting to make a guess here, about Dimi’s gen and the gen after his ( that of AZverev and Shapo’s), as to who will most likely win slam and how many.
My guess is Dimi may win two or three, Raonic one or two, Thiem maybe two at FO, and Goffin one?
It’s harder to make predictions for AZverev’s gen as they’re much younger and will definitively outlast Rafa’s gen so will be in better positions to win the slams. I see AZverev, Shapo, Khachanov, Rublev, Chung, Coric and the young Americans all having chances at the slams. Australia’s Kokki and/or Kyrgios too, that Greek boy Tsitsipas maybe?
Shapovalov is about as American as Vlad “Daddy” Putin.
#ThisIsNotAmerica
#Shalalalala
#TimHortonWillWin
Well, not that easy for me to predict the GS champions, let alone how many will they have at the end of their careers 😆
Thiem seems destined to win the FO some day, can’t see Zverev without a few slams on his bag and I’ll be shocked if Dimitrov can’t win at least one.
I’m looking forward to Shapo’s development, I believe he has phenomenal raw power and can take the men’s game to another dimension when he reaches his peak.
There’s another young man I’ve been following lately, Felix Auger Aliassime, any toughts on him Lucky ?
I doubt Shapo will be like the big four, so I don’t know what ‘another dimension’ means. His raw power isn’t any greater than Rafa’s, nor does he has the easy power the likes of Delpo’s. He’s quick but not quicker than the big four. He does have a great serve but he doesn’t have a great return, at least not yet. He has great FH and BH for a guy of his age.
What I see in him is his go for broke mentality; he’s still a WIP of course, Ill wait and see whether he’ll rein in his go for broke aggression and plays with a more controlled and less error prone aggression. He needs to improve the precision of his shots, something the big four, even when they’re in their younger days, could do.
Djoko when he was in his early twenties, could hit with such precision that Rafa called his game paint the line tennis. Rafa could simply hit his topspin shots that looked like they’re about to go over the lines only to land exactly on the lines because of his heavy topspin. Fed was known for his laser sharp precision and Murray wasn’t bad with the precision of his running shots either.
Shapo certainly can improve, and has the making of a good to great player, we just don’t know how great he will become. I heard about Felix but have not watched him play; heard that he’s good and talented, but the nurturing part is important in bringing talent to its full potential.
For sure he won’t be like the Big Four, only God knows how many years we’ll have to wait until someone appears and plays close to their prime level, which was absolutely stratospheric tennis.
Don’t get me wrong Lucky, I know many people are probably hyping Shapo way too much, of course he has some gaps on his game but he can fill most of them. It’s just, when I look at long term, the men’s game level is gonna drop for sure without the Big Four, and I see Shapo performing at very high levels and possibly becoming World number one when he peaks（we’re too far I know, many other Next Gen guys can get there).
About Felix,he became the 7th youngest player to win a challenger title (right in-between Nadal and Djokovic in that stat), has good racquet head skills, good defense,natural instinct to attack and come forward and also has a great movement. He had a WC for Rogers cup, but withdrew with wrist injury. He seems to be a bit injury prone but he has a really promising game.
Shapo is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overrated for such a short period of anecdotal success.
Now, he could be the next Goffin, sure.
I watched the NextGen Finals; I like how competitive these young guys were/are; I’m impressed by Chung, who imo plays like Djoko. Both Chung and Coric play a game similar to Djoko’s but Chung looks the quicker, more powerful of the two.
I like Medvedev for his unique style but the guy lacks fitness. His style reminds me a bit of Florian Mayer, who plays an unpredictable style. His is not a power game that most of the next gen guys are playing now, his comes with varieties mix with unpredictability.
I have to say that I am not convinced yet about Shapo. I agree that he is talented, but it’s raw and undisciplined at this point. I not ready to predict that he wi be a top player.
It’s always tricky to predict who will become the next great players. We can see potential, but will it be realized. So the jury is out.
I think Sascha Zverev has a great deal of potential. He’s still very young but has shown mental toughness and savvy beyond his years. He does need to work on fitness after a disappointing showing at the WTF. Goffin has come back strong this year after an injury at RG. Theim has shown that he’s got the shots but is not comfortable on all surfaces.
Krygios has probably the most potential but will most likely not get there. His attitude is poor and he’s not willing to put in the hard work and effort. Also he’s injury prone.
I think men’s tennis will have a big void after the top four retire. These young guys seem to go for raw power over finesse. I do not think we will see anyone like Rafa or Fed anytime soon.
what do u mean by top?
Ricky,
The top four of Rafa, Fed, Novak and Murray. I am talking about these young guys at least getting into the top four or five.
I was looking for some Rafa’s stats at the FO yesterday and found this. Hope you like it Nny 🙂
https://i.eurosport.com/2017/05/23/2089503-43785270-2560-1440.jpg?w=700
Gaviria,
I tried to pull up that link but all I see is a picture of Borg and Rafa.
Hey Nny!…There’s a very touching article for u on Rafa Nadal thread…
I found this picture in an article, which wasn’t anything special, but as soon as I saw this picture I remembered you said Rafa and Borg were your tennis idols, so I downloaded the image because I thought you would like it.
About the stats, I found TennisAbstract, a site with extremely detailed information about any tennis match. I haven’t had time yet to look at each match of Rafa at the FO, but generally looking, it seems like Rafa’s numbers there were peak stats for sure.
You can take a look here:
http://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/player.cgi?p=RafaelNadal&f=ACareerqqDRoland_Garrosqq
I know when the big four (plus Delpo and Stan) are gone, the quality of men’s tennis will drop; but if Dimi, Goffin, Sock, Sasha Zverev can play frequently like the way they did this WTF, then at least we may have some competitive matches.
I (We) can’t expect tennis of the big four qualities all the time, so I think we have to adjust (lower) our expectations and accept that we may have competitive matches but not of the level produced during the big four era.
I know that no player his bigger than the game itself, but I’ll find it hard to keep following tennis consistently after the day Rafa decides to hang his racquet. After all, he’s the only reason I started watching and following the sport, since I was a kid. I hope that the other guys can play at a good level when they’re gone and some of the NextGen can step up his game, so that the game can still exciting and enjoyable.
It doesn’t have to be the Big 4 but the future looks like the WOAT (Weakest of All Time).
Before Big 4, we had Sampras and Agassi and before that we had Becker, Edberg, lendl and before that we had McEnroe, Connors, Borg. Ashe, Laver, Rosewall and so on before then.
All the players above stood out as greats in their late teens or early 20s.
Zverev is the only one who potentially fits that bill.
Dimi/Goffin and the rest are all over 25 only rising as the cream falls. Thiem is 24 but doesn’t display comparable greatness.
No, this reeks of an all time low IMO ripe for a new talent ala Federer in 2003 to swoop in and run the table for several years to come.
And just like 2003-06, if this happens, I will get bored and likely check out.
Zverev didnt play great at the WTF
Your point being?
C’mon Dimon, your better than that. Do I really need to spell it out?
Well, I just hope that you not comparing Zverev’s first WTF appearance as a 20 yr old with any former great, don’t you? Or do you.
Apparently not.
Zverev’s showing is not uncommon for a first time appearance by most former/current greats when they were 20 or younger (except for McEnroe, Lendl and Becker).
#HopeThisHelps
#HowManyTimes?????
#HerbertWillWin
I add to My post AT 9:02 PM
#FailAgainFailBetter
#Humb1e
Yeah, but he’s not that bad compared to Djoko for example. Djoko lost all his RR matches in his debut in 2007, also at 20 yo. Djoko was also ranked no.3 entering the WTF that year and ended the year as no.3.
Rafa reached SF in 2006 on his debut as a 20 yo (he couldn’t play in 2005 due to injury even though he qualified for it). Fed (in 2002) and Murray (2008) debuted at age 21 and reached the SF in their debut.
Another interesting comparison is to Delpo, who qualified as no.8 in 2008 when he’s 20 yo. He won one RR match and lost two. Delpo however reached the final in 2009, losing to Davy in the final. Delpo ended the year as no.5, just behind the big four. I must say Delpo played in a tougher era back then, when the big four were at or near their peak.
Ricky, I appreciate all you do here, but I hope you’re trying to do something about the hacking problem on your site. It had cleared up for awhile, but now seems to be getting worse. I’m able to reach the site on about every third try.
As far as tennis goes, great win for Dimitrov. IMO there’s no reason why he can’t make a breakthrough at the slams next year. Same with Goffin. Most of these second-tier guys just need a bit of belief against the big four. No reason, game-wise, why a guy like Dimi or Goffin should be winless against anyone.
As far as younger guys like Zverev, Shapo, or Chung, I think they’re still so young that it’s very hard to make any good predictions about their long-term success. It’s over 8 years since a 20 year old won a slam, and it may be that we don’t see it again for a long time. The average player’s prime has shifted a good five years or more. So even if none of those guys win any slams for the next 3-4 years, it may be that one of them still ends up with a lot of slams by the time he’s 30.
It’s open season Joe.
Fed has the best shot at AO among the Big 4 IMO (and I got that right last year whilst everyone scoffed).
But I’m not sure I’d take him against the field – I’ll wait to see how pre-AO goes before being that confident again.
Rickety Rafa, AWOL Nolandy and a bunch of mid-20s noise won’t push Fed if he is in 2017 AO form. I hear the AO courts are gonna be even slicker in 2018!!!
I hope you’re right, of course. But it all depends on his back, and I have no expectations for Fed going forward, at his age.
What I’d most like to see at the AO is a healthy Roger against a Novak who has roared back to form. But that may be unlikely on both counts.
If he’s healthy, I’d also like to see Roger play one more FO, even if it’s his only clay tournament.
Hawks, that last sentence is one of your classic “How do I know if he’s serious or not?” statements… I’m going to assume you mean it in the same way as when you said back in March, “Mark my words- Roland Garros will be the fastest clay court ever measured in history this year!” (Paraphrased, of course). 😉
Not forgetting there’s a Delpo lurking around. Imo, Delpo when fit and healthy will be a threat to a fit and healthy Fed on the AO fast HC. Delpo gave Fed the most headache at the Shanghai fast HC this year, and Fed needed to go the distance to beat Delpo most of the times. I won’t be surprised that should they meet in the QF or SF, Delpo may beat Fed.
Have to say, great win for Dtrov. …and pretty surprising to me because Ricky and I were both on hand this September when he got absolutely blown out by Rublev at The US OPEN….but hats off to both he and Goffin for a great week!
Congrats to Grigor! I am very much looking forward to 2018. The AO draw will be a mess and I think that’s great. I’ll be watching to see how these young guys perform with the “big guys” back in the field. I don’t believe, Murray, Novak, Stan etc. are just going to fade into the woodwork. It’ll be a much tougher field and some of these guys have a lot of points to defend. I don’t believe Grigor will stay at #3 or Sasha at #4. Ought to be interesting.
A season come to an end…It was a GREAT GREAT 2017 for us Rafa & Roger’s fans…It’s been a pleasure to have this amazing ride with u guys through the tears of happiness & pain this year especially with my beloved RC,Nny,amy,Alison,Hawks & other Rafans…
To those who will have a holiday & festive season after this…enjoy your holiday with your family guys!If God’s willing,we’ll meet again next year…Insyaallah!..Very much hope we’re gonna have another great year as a Rafans in 2018!Happy Holidays guys!See yah!!
See you mira darling!!
Take very good care of yourself!!
Xxx
Ps I am really quite worried about rc…if you do get to speak to her please send her my love…
amy!…I will!…and she loves u too u know!..and i’m sure,when she’s ready,she will come here soon…I think,she just needs some time out atm…that’s all…
I’m gonna miss u amy!..but,i need to go to my hibernation nest asap!..uwwaaaa!!…i’m sleeeeeppyy..nyam nyam nyam….bye amyyy…love u…
Congrats to Grigor. The guy deserved a big title.
2017 will be remembered for a long time. Possibly the two best players ever defied all odds and showed anything is possible.
So, keep that in mind when making 2018 predictions. In tennis, the dynamics change so quickly. A massive Djokovic comeback is surely possible but so is the opposite. I won’t be surprised at all if either Rog or Rafa win AO and take 2-3 slams between them next year. Anything is possible with these guys.
I expect a stellar 2018 from Rafa! He has the confidence, improved second serve and it is all about how health. I don’t think his knee injury will linger on. They will be able to contain it in this break.
I agree with some of your comments Vamosrafa but I don’t think Rafa can replicate what he did this season for next season.
The big boy’s won’t let him and R. Federer knows that his time is almost up😭😭😭! So R. Federer will be on fire🔥🔥🔥 next season, it could be his last and I see him winning at least 2 GS’s( next year) and maybe 3-4 slams b4 he retires.
It would be difficult but if anyone can do it, it would be Roger Federer the best tennis player ever.
#Respect2THEG.O.A.T
From the “brain” that had same confidence that R. Nadal wouldn’t finish No. 1, that’s a really good sign for R. Nadal.
Don’t cry – there’s still fascism, misogyny and racism to fill your life when Roger is gone.
People say that Rafa wont be the same next year as hes now slowing down and losing a step because of his age, but surely the same can be said about Djokovic and Murray next year then ?
Rafa is still very quick, quicker than most!
Yes he is, but with his injury I don’t think he will play as good as he did this year.
There are many things to consider-
1) The big boy’s will be back.
2) “Injury”
3) R. Federer is on a mission( don’t 4get what happened this year- R. Federer vs R. Nadal it wasn’t pretty) etc.
But once Rafa fully recovers everything will be fine.
Yes the same can be said but with Rafa’s “injury” he might not play as expected at beginning of the season but once he recovers fully, he should be on fire( maybe clay season).
I wish my rafito a full recovery!
🤒🤕💪💪💪👌!
@Alison,wasn’t Rafa expected to lose his by age 30 so much so that his baseline game will no longer be effective due to its reliance on his physicality bla bla bka? 😉
Unless he really starts to lose matches due to his lack of physical strength, I will not fall for this reason. He is still one of the fastest in the top 10 and physically SO STRONG.
Rafa’s still very, very quick. Explosive first step. No, he’s not as fast as he was at 18, chasing down everything, but he’s vastly improved other components of his game. Serve, volley, backhand, decision making, court positioning, all top drawer. He’s a really complete player now.
Oldest player ever to finish at #1. Not bad for a kid who was supposed to have a short career.
VR, I think the most surprising thing about Nadal this season was how his foot-speed seemed to return during the clay court season. At the beginning of the year, and even through Miami, many people, including me, said that Rafa was at least a step slower than he had been at his fastest.
By the end of his first clay court tournament, and through Beijing and Shanghai until the final, he seemed to me to be moving much better, and almost as good as ever. I’m really not sure how that happened, but absence/healing of injury is the best explanation. Whether that will continue, or whether the lingering knee issue will slow him down (which I think affects all aspects of his game, especially the FH) remains to be seen.
I actually think that, conditioning-wise, Rafa was in the best shape of his life this season! Like when he’d be practicing without a shirt, he dude looked so cut with pretty much zero body fat. That AO SF against Dimitrov was a testament to this- that was arguably one of the most physically grueling matches I’ve ever seen!
I think that Rafa vs Verdasco match in 2009 was even more grueling but have to say Rafa was much younger then ( Rafa 22 Verdasco 25).
The Rafa vs Djoko match in 2012 AO final I think was another one.
I think there are some others too – Djoko/Murray AO2012 SF; Djoko/Stan AO2013 R3; Rafa/Fed AO2009 final; Djoko/Murray USO2012 final for examples.
There’s no way to really measure which of these matches may or may not have been more “grueling” than the others. Thus, I stick by my original statement that Rafa vs. Dimitrov was *one of* the most grueling I’ve ever seen. Especially considering that Rafa was 30 and not in his early 20’s, his conditioning just looked off the charts to me this season. Dimitrov has got to be one of the most fit and athletic guys in tour, and Rafa at 30 still outlasted him. I think if it were almost anyone else in that position, in a 5th set against Dimitrov, I don’t think they would have won.
It kind of reminds me of Agassi in his early-30’s. His fitness and conditioning was so great, and he was so disciplined with that aspect in the latter part of his career, it allowed him to outlast and wear guys down who were much younger and more athletic than him.
Rafa not only has that great fitness and conditioning, but he also has that supreme athleticism to boot.
Kevin and Vamosrafa thanks for your feedback ….
Amy im concerned about RC, shes not been of FB for ages either hmm 🙁
Yes I am worried too Alison
Rc is such a huge tennis fan that it’s hard to understand why she hasn’t been here for so long and I know she loves you and mira so her not replying to you is very out of character…
Don’t know what we can do though??
I have to join in about being concerned with rc’s absence. She loves Goffin and I expected her to be here cheering him on during the WTF.
It’s worrying.
Medvedev reminds me of Gulbis.
Meant to post that further up.
Yeah,haven’t seen RC for a long time.