The Bulgarian Baby Fed, Grigor Dimitrov went up against the American Big Foe, Frances Tiafoe on 3R of Wimbledon 2023. There were a lot of hopes for the American youngster, given that just last month he bagged the Stuttgart Open title. This gave him good experience in the tricky grass surface. However, the grass in Wimbledon can be even more demanding.
The 32-year-old has so far looked evidently willing to give it his all in each match at the prestigious All-England Club. Consistency and clarity in training have shown marvelous effects for Dimitrov in the third round. Now, he calmly cruises into the quarterfinals.
Grigor Dimitrov’s performance dominated Frances Tiafoe
In a quick hour and 40 minutes match, Baby Fed obliterated the American in three straight sets. Seemingly not having the space for even one break point, Dimitrov played one of his most dominating games. After last year’s game of aces, Grigor was back again on the Wimbledon court with 13 aces over the match.
While Frances Tiafoe lost his cool early in his match and hit the ball into orbit, Baby Fed somehow kept his cool cap on and looked focused till the very end.
“Wonderful match, honestly,” said Grigor Dimitrov, who…
👉 Won 37 of 40 first-serve points
👉 Won 64% of second-serve points
👉 Faced zero break points
👉 Hit 13 aces, 33 winners
👉 Went 12 of 15 at the netIt was anything but for Frances Tiafoe, now 6-3 at the Slams in 2023.
— TENNIS (@Tennis) July 10, 2023
The Bulgarian was aware that Tiafoe is one of the most dangerous players currently. So, he probably went to the match determined to stay completely focused and it paid off. With a 90% win on the first serve and a 75% win on the second serve, Dimitrov is floating high on confidence after this win.
Frances Tiafoe loses against Grigor Dimitrov in third round at Wimbledon
The young American has shown a lot of potential in the past couple of years. Ranked among the top 10 players in the world, Tiafoe is one of the new-age players to look out for. However, this year’s Grand Slams have been difficult for the youngster. This defeat by Dimitrov meant that Frances had consecutively lost in the third round of the third Grand Slam tournament this year.
Several predictions of this match suggested that Big Foe would be taking the win. But Baby Fed managed to somehow beat the odds and destroyed him very quickly. The American’s disappointment was evident. While on the court this level of frustration might not be of much help, off the court this loss might potentially motivate him to train smarter and come back stronger!
Coming up is the fourth round of Wimbledon. Going into the round of 16, against 20-year-old world-ranked 6, Holger Rune, Dimitrov says, “I have to take it like any other match. Of course, he is young, talented, and a very dangerous player, but so am I. Minus the young part!”
What are your thoughts on Dimitrov’s style of play this Grand Slam season? Could Frances stand a chance if he stayed calmer? Let us know in the comments below!
