Can Dimitrov upset Djokovic?

Today may well be the day of reckoning for Bulgarian tennis star Grigor Dimitrov. A victory here against world no. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round of French Open will do a world of good to the career of this highly-acclaimed torch bearer of the next generation. If he is indeed able to move to the fourth round, surpassing one of the greats in the game today, he would soon succeed in registering his own identity rather than being known as “Baby Federer” or “Sharapova’s boyfriend.”

The success which he had tasted in the second round of Madrid Open three weeks ago, when he prevailed over Djokovic in three tough sets, has made today’s clash one of the most highly-anticipated duels in this year’s French Open. Although it may be naïve on our part to expect the Bulgarian to cause an upset again, the chances of such an occurrence cannot be completely ruled out.

Djoker will obviously start as the favourite going into today’s match against the 22-year-old sensation. However, it needs to be remembered that going by the current form, he has not done anything special after lifting the trophy at Monte Carlo. The second round exit from Madrid (technically it should be called the first round exit, since top seeds get a bye in the opening rounds of Masters events) and being knocked out in the quarter finals of Rome does not augur well for the Serbian supremo. Besides, he is yet to complete his career Grand Slam and has been in the final here only once.

Grigor, on the other hand, has been having a good year so far, not in terms of winning titles, but in terms of standing toe-to-toe with the top-ranked players. Not long before upsetting Djokovic in Madrid, he had almost beaten Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo. However, the phenomenal experience of the Spaniard finally came to his aid as he just managed to dash the hopes of his opponent, who was on the road to causing the biggest upset of the year.

The momentum may well be in Bulgarian’s favour today, given the fact that he has done so well thus far. On the contrary, the Serb has performed much below par after having won his fourth Australian Open this year. Yes, he did stop Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo, but given his reputation, he has been having a sedate season so far. However, that does not mean we have an upset on the cards today. After all, the six-time Grand Slam champion is well-known for his mental toughness and remarkable comebacks, especially on match points. But then, due to his recent accomplishments, the Bulgarian can contest in this match with more confidence as he knows how to beat Novak.

The game of tennis has come across many great players. All those greats have had their own troubles in taking the courts with certain players. It is not that the other players were better than them, but there was something about them that somehow gave them an advantage over their much-fancied opponent – like Navratilova for Chris Evert, Agassi for Becker, and Nadal for Federer, to name a few. Likewise, given the way the Serbian superstar has played against young Dimitrov in the last two matches this year, one in Indian Wells and the other in Madrid, it is pretty evident that he has not been comfortable playing against the latter. Though Djokovic has managed to beat Baby Fed in straight sets in the first hard court Masters this year, it was a very hard fought match between the two contrary to what the score line would suggest. The world no. 1 managed to win the first set only with the help of a tie breaker during that match. And two more tie breakers were played between them in their next match in Madrid as Dimitrov won 7-6 6-7 6-3. These score lines only confirm the type of competition existing between them. If Dimitrov plays like he did in Madrid, then we are in for a cracker of a contest in the third round of the French Open.

Grigor Dimitrov idolizes Pete Sampras and plays like Roger Federer. Idolizing a legend and playing like another legend would only make him a better player. He may end up winning multiple Slams, and it is just the matter of time before he succeeds doing it. Upsetting one of the best players in a major event may just be the tonic that this kid needs in order to progress in his career. The victory against Sampras in Wimbledon 2001 fourth round served as a major boost for Roger Federer, who went on to own grass court tennis for a major part of the last decade. So, it is quite possible that Dimitrov also is waiting for one such break which would bring him many more titles in the years to come. Perhaps, today is the day which can change the career of the Bulgarian star. Though the odds are completely against the youngster in his match against the Serb, an upset cannot be completely ruled out.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in four sets with at least one tie-breaker set.