Grigor Dimitrov: "There's time throughout the day, about an hour that I turn everything off around me"

Grigor Dimitrov is one win away from claiming his first Masters 1000 title since 2017 after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals at the 2023 Paris Masters. The Bulgarian divulged his secret to staying in the moment and overcoming the pressure of playing at such a high level.

Dimitrov, currently ranked No. 17 in the world, has had a remarkable resurgence in 2023, reaching the semifinals at Rotterdam, Washington DC, Chengdu, and Shanghai, along with quarterfinal appearances at Marseille, London, and Beijing. He also made it to the final at Geneva, losing to Nicolas Jarry in straight sets (7-6(1), 6-1).

The 32-year-old has only reached one ATP Masters 1000 final in his career, at Cincinnati in 2017, where he defeated Nick Kyrgios in straight sets. Since then, he has struggled with injuries, and inconsistency, and has not made it past the semifinals of any Masters 1000 tournament.

That changed on Saturday when he faced World No. 6 Tsitsipas in the semifinals of the 2023 Paris Masters. Dimitrov played with aggression, and variety, before prevailing in three sets, 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3).

In an interview with Tennis Channel, Dimitrov was asked by Prakash Amritraj about his perspective on reaching his first Masters 1000 final in six years, and whether he uses meditation or anything to help him stay in the moment.

The Bulgarian replied that he has a very simple approach to his daily routine and that he prioritizes everything that he does.

"Overall, I’m very, very simple," Dimitrov said. "I always try to go with the I prioritize everything right now. I think when I go from what time I have breakfast, what time I practice, what time I rest, what time I do my treatment, and what time I have time for myself. There’s also time throughout the day, about an hour that I turn off everything around me and self-reflection."

The 32-year-old also said that he spends about an hour every day turning off everything around him and doing self-reflection, which he finds very important and helpful.

"I mean, for me, that’s personally very, very important. I also enjoyed that time alone. I think it’s good to be alone with your thoughts and with your mind and all that. I think it helps me a lot, whether it’s good or bad thoughts that are coming into your head. You cannot be constantly positive 24x7. So you need to let kind of everything, everything go runs through you," Grigor Dimitrov added.

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Grigor Dimitrov to face Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Paris Masters final

Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov at the Adria Tour

Grigor Dimitrov will face defending champion Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2023 Paris Masters on Sunday.

Dimitrov will face a formidable challenge from the Serb, who is chasing his seventh title in Paris and his 40th Masters 1000 crown. Djokovic, who has won 17 matches in a row, survived a tough test from fifth seed Andrey Rublev in a three-set battle, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5, in the semifinals.

The head-to-head record between Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov stands heavily in favor of the former, who leads 11-1. The Serb has won the last nine meetings, including two in Paris in 2016 and 2019.