"Grigor Dimitrov was a prince when he broke through, he is 32 & nothing to disprove that" - Journalist lauds Bulgarian's kind act for fan in Marseille

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim commended Grigor Dimitrov for his heartwarming gesture towards a disabled fan after his Round of 16 win at the 2024 Marseille Open in France.

The Marseille Open is Dimitrov’s first tournament since the Australian Open, where he lost in the third round to Nuno Borges in a four-set thriller. The Bulgarian received a bye in the first round in Marseille and faced World No. 34 Sebastian Korda in the second round.

Dimitrov dominated the first set 6-1, and eventually prevailed 7-6(5) in a tiebreak in the second set, sealing his spot in the quarterfinals. But the highlight of the match came when the World No. 13 climbed the stands to greet a disabled fan in the crowd.

Dimitrov took off his wristband and handed it to the fan, before clicking a few pictures with him as the crowd cheered and applauded.

Watch the video below:

This act of kindness was lauded by the media and the Bulgarian's peers. Wertheim was among those who praised Dimitrov for his act on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, February 9.

""When People Show You Who They Are, Believe Them"t….this guy was a prince when he broke through as a teenager. He is now 32, and has nothing to disprove that," Wertheim wrote.

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Grigor Dimitrov to face Karen Khachanov in 2024 Marseille Open semifinal

Grigor Dimitrov at the 2024 Australian Open

Grigor Dimitrov will take on the World No. 18 Karen Khachanov in the semifinal of the 2024 Marseille Open on Saturday (February 10).

Dimitrov, the second seed in the tournament, has been in excellent form this week, as he hasn't dropped a single set in his two matches. The Bulgarian, currently ranked 13th in the world, defeated Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 7-6(3) in the quarterfinal on Friday.

Khachanov, who lost the Round of 16 against eventual champion Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open last month, also advanced to the last four with a straight-sets win over China's Zhang Zhizhen.

This will be the fourth meeting between Grigor Dimitrov and Karen Khachanov, with the former leading the head-to-head 3-0. Their most recent encounter was at the 2023 Shanghai Masters, where Dimitrov prevailed 7-6(6), 6-4 in the third round.

The winner of this semifinal will face either the top seed Hubert Hurkacz or the fourth seed Ugo Humbert in the final on Sunday (February 11). Hurkacz and Humbert will play their semifinal match later on Saturday.