Google News
Grigor Dimitrov, 32, has clinched his 400th ATP match win at the Chengdu Open. Dimitrov, seeded at No 3, had a first-round bye in Chengdu before beating Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-4 to reach the quarterfinal. Dimitrov, who turned pro in 2008, now has won 400 matches on the Tour level.
Now, Dimitrov owns a 400-268 record on the main level. After beating Varillas, Dimitrov admitted he wasn't even aware that he was just one win away from collecting his 400th win. Also, Dimitrov mentioned his love for tennis as one of the biggest reasons behind his notable milestone.
Dimitrov: I love tennis and I have lived for the game
“I’m a person that loves the game and I’ve, in a way, lived for the game. 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," Dimitrov told the ATP website. Dimitrov's first ATP win came in 2009 Rotterdam, when he stunned Tomas Berdych 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the first round.
“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 [Tour 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 said.