“I'm a person that loves the game, and I've, in a way, lived for the game," Dimitrov celebrates 400 wins on the ATP Tour after victory over Varillas.
ATP
Grigor Dimitrov
advanced to the Chengdu Open by defeating Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3, 6-4, and he
achieved his 400th victory on the ATP Tour.
The former
world No. 3 began the Asian tournaments in the best way by defeating the
Peruvian player Juan Pablo Varillas (ranked 70th). Besides his successful
start, Grigor Dimitrov secured his 400th win on the ATP Tour, making him the
11th active player to reach that milestone.
In response
to this achievement at the age of 32, Dimitrov gave an interview to the ATP Tour website:
“I’m a
person that loves the game and I’ve, in a way, lived for the game,” Dimitrov said.
“I think
this [milestone] has been something for me that was not the most important
thing, but at the same time I try to do the right things for the sport itself.
I think when you do these things and you win, it adds up.
“This is an
achievement in itself. For me, I never set myself a goal to have 500 or 300
wins or whatever it is. You just never know how it is going to be, but I’ve
been on Tour for 14 years now so it’s nice when you have that approval and
you’ve done it yourself out there. You’ve gone out there 400 times and won, so
I think it’s pretty cool,” he added.
With eight
titles under his belt, Dimitrov reminisced about his first victory in 2009 at
the Rotterdam Open when he was just 17 years old, defeating the then-world No.
23 Tomas Berdych:
“I remember
everything about that day, about that match.”
“About two
days before that match, I was supposed to play qualies in Rotterdam, and the
night before the qualies started they decided to give me a wild card and I drew
Tomas. Then I saw the draw and it was Tomas, and Rafa was up there, and he’d
just come from winning the Australian Open.
“That match
against Tomas was crazy. I was sliding, running around. I was just being myself
out there really, and I never thought about, ‘Oh that’s my first [win]’ or
something like that, it was just another match for me. I think this is
something that at some point you need to remind yourself a little bit more.”
Dimitrov
added that after 14 years on the tour, he still has the motivation to continue
achieving success in the coming years.
“Nothing
lasts forever, especially in our sport, so use that window as much as possible,
enjoy as much as possible, love as much as possible, play as much as possible
and how the cards fall, you never know. The only thing I can try to do is give
100 per cent of myself,” added former world No. 3.
“I’ve
always been the type of person that never focused on [stats], but of course I’m
going to rank it up there,” he said of hitting the 400-win mark. “One of my
favourite stats, and I have it almost as a trophy. I haven’t won a tournament
lately, but I feel like I’ve won something very special and that’s that. My
career is far from over, so who knows, maybe I’ll reach 500?,” claimed Dimitrov.
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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