Grigor Dimitrov muses on Thiem, Nadal retirement and its impact on tennis

Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov has opened up about the impact of the retirement of Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal. Both tennis stars' announced retirement from professional tennis in the recent past. Thiem has already played his last game in Vienna last week. In contrast, the Spaniard will participate in the Davis Cup final round, in which he will represent his country in the quarterfinal stage.

Thiem finished his career with just one Grand Slam to his name. On the other hand, Nadal, who is already regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, will finish his career with 22 Grand Slam titles. He is also known as the ‘King of Clay’ as 14 of those 22 major titles came at the Roland Garros.

Dimitrov has recently been quoted in a report about the impact of Thiem and Nadal. The 33-year-old stated that every time a player leaves the arena, it has impact on other players as well. Dimitrov also admitted that he is ‘closer’ to the end of his career compared to most players on the tour but believes that he still has a lot to offer on the court in the near future.

“It’s sad,” he said. “I saw Dominic a couple of days ago – he was in Vienna as well. I cannot help but think about that as well. Of course, everything has a beginning and an end, but seeing competitors that you grew up with and seeing these guys that are pushing you to do better, it takes a little piece away from you; that’s just how it is. I have respect for the new generation and everyone that is playing out there, but off the court it was a lot of fun; we were always poking fun at each other and I don’t see that now. I miss that healthy competitiveness, but I have nothing but respect for these players. I know everyone’s time is going to come up, and I’m not that close to the end, but I’m closer than a lot of the players. However, I’m still a contender, I’m still playing, and I’m going to keep on fighting to the end to stay at the top. If my body allows me to do the things that I’m doing right now, then I’m more than happy.”