Dimitrov ready to make 2020 a big year

Since winning the 2017 ATP Nitto Finals Dimitrov hasn't had the greatest of success. In order to change that he underwent a rigorous training regime during the offseason. He elaborated further:

"It’s such a different pain to what you experience on the court because on the court you cannot turn off your brain, but here you can actually turn off your brain,” Dimitrov said. “So you can kind of push through it a lot and that’s what we’re aiming [for], especially early on in the weeks, to just beast through it and be like, ‘This is where I’m at, I’m burning, I’m feeling pain, I’m suffering’, but sort of close your eyes and go through it. [That’s] whether you’re going to lift weights, do something on a bike, do a cardio exercise, so you’re able to do that."

Dimitrov wanted to make sure that his body is ready to handle the stresses of top-level tennis. His routine was mainly based on strength exercises and injury prevention exercises. He wanted to make sure that early injuries don't derail his season. He said:

"It’s like Formula One, we are always on the edge, so it’s like the details that make the difference here and there. We do some muscle testing, we see there is this feeling on the court, off the court when we do the exercise,” Sebastien Durand, Dimitrov’s fitness trainer, said. “We have to listen a lot and then we have to adjust all the time to his feedback. Constant adjustments. We work, but at the same time it’s creative, we put the brain on it and it’s fun, too."

Dimitrov wants to build on a strong finish to the season:

"I think right now I’m really not trying to think so much about how I ended the year. Yes, I had pretty good results, but those were important for me personally. It was a tough moment, especially when I started dipping down the [FedEx ATP] Rankings. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to come back by the end of the year."

Dimitrov is eager to continue the success he had during the ATP Cup. Follow our coverage of the Australian Open and see whether he does so.

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