Striptease at the Laver Cup? Dimitrov responds to jokes after exhibition with Djokovic

Thursday, 19 September 2024 at 19:30

Grigor Dimitrov played an exhibition match with Novak Djokovic in Sofia, Bulgaria, where both joked by taking off their shirts and dancing in front of the fans. After Tuesday’s exhibition, Dimitrov traveled to Berlin to play the Laver Cup for the second time.

Djokovic and Dimitrov share laughs in Sofia

The world No. 10 defeated Nole 6-4, 2-6 [10-6] in the exhibition benefiting the Grigor Dimitrov Foundation. From the promotional activities, it was all jokes between the Bulgarian and the Serb, as they entered the court wearing matching customized denim jackets.

Once on the court, they didn’t just take off their jackets, as the 24-time Grand Slam champion started joking by doing a ‘striptease’, taking off his shirt and waving it in the air while dancing to the music. Djokovic encouraged Dimitrov to follow suit, and eventually, the Bulgarian was also shirtless.

After the match, played on the night of Tuesday, September 17, Dimitrov had another event to attend: the Laver Cup, where he was one of the last confirmed players following Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal. Dimitrov will debut on Friday in the night session against Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the third match of the first day.

During Thursday’s press conference in Berlin, the 32-year-old was asked about the striptease he did with Djokovic in the Sofia exhibition: “I was hoping you’re not going to mention that one,” Dimitrov laughed. “I’ll let the boys decide on that, whatever they want me to do. No, we had a great time with Novak.”

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At that moment, Alexander Zverev joined the conversation with a suggestion: “(If) we win, Grigor gets naked, just for the female fans. And for Bjorn (Borg).”

“Shirt off is fine,” Dimitrov smiled. “No, no, we had a great time with Novak. Honestly, he was such a great sport for that. Just truly happy to be able to establish my foundation in such a way clearly.

“Yeah, you know, times like these are also about that, about the enjoyment, something that is, you know, worth it and means something to you. Now I’m on the team with these fellas over here, so I guess whatever I promise, I need to deliver. So I better be careful," he concluded.

Bastien Fachan

@BastienFachan

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What is happening at the Djokovic-Dimitrov exho lmao

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8:30 PM · Sep 17, 2024

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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.

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