"I’m such a huge Jackie Chan fan, so it was nice to experience" - Grigor Dimitrov gets a lesson in kung fu ahead of Chengdu Open 2023

Grigor Dimitrov recently tried his hands at kung fu ahead of the 2023 Chengdu Open.

The Bulgarian, who is seeded third at the ATP 250 event, got a taste of the ancient Chinese martial art at the Feng Qing Lake, where he watched demonstrations and learned some basic moves from experts.

Kung fu, which literally means “skill and effort”, is a collective term for various styles of fighting that originated in China. Some of the most famous practitioners of kung fu include Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li, who have popularized it in movies and TV shows.

Dimitrov shared his admiration for the ancient martial arts and Jackie Chan.

"I’m a big fan of kung fu, but I don’t think I did very well today," Dimitrov said (via the ATP tour website). "I think it’s an amazing art and I’m such a huge Jackie Chan fan, so it was nice to experience that a little, and hopefully one day I will have the chance to explore more of it. Doing the standing poses was really fun."

Dimitrov is looking for his first title of the year in Chengdu. He reached the third round at the US Open earlier this month, where he lost to Alexander Zverev in four sets. The Bulgarian also made the fourth round at the Wimbledon Championships in July, where he fell to Holger Rune.

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A look at Grigor Dimitrov's performance in the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Frankfurt

Grigor Dimitrov at the 2023 US Open

Grigor Dimitrov, also known as G-Unit, was one of the eight players who participated in the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) in Frankfurt, Germany. The UTS is a new format of tennis that features shorter matches, unique rules, and a more interactive and entertaining experience for the fans.

In the group stage, Dimitrov started with a win over Jan-Lennard Struff, also known as The Thunder, in four quarters. The 32-year-old then beat Benoit Paire, The Rebel, in a match that went to sudden death. In his last group match, he lost to Casper Ruud, The Iceman, but still qualified for the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Dimitrov faced Diego Schwartzman, El Peque, who had topped his group with three wins. The Bulgarian prevailed in another thrilling match that also went to sudden death.

In the final, Dimitrov met Andrey Rublev, who had beaten Paire in the other semifinal. The Russian eventually prevailed 14-13, 12-17, 11-10, 17-16, in his debut at the UTS.