"Serena Williams came to me like, 'I don't wanna distract you,' I was like, 'You helped me'": Grigor Dimitrov on counting on American in Miami Open SF

Grigor Dimitrov recently revealed that he had received some pep talk from Serena Williams before his Miami Open semifinal match on Friday (March 29), which he felt went a long way in helping him reach his third career ATP Masters 1000 final.

Dimitrov has put together a giant-killing campaign at the Miami Masters. The 11th seed overcame a set deficit in two of his first three early-round matches, before scoring upset wins over Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev to reach the championship match at the tournament. He will face World No. 3 Jannik Sinner in the title clash on Sunday (March 31).

Speaking to Tennis Channel following his last-four victory, Grigor Dimitrov revealed to host Prakash Amitraj that his good friend Serena Williams had offered him a few words of encouragement just before he walked on-court to face Zverev.

Although the 23-time Major winner admittedly didn't want to take the Bulgarian's focus off the match, he found her advice resourceful. The 32-year-old also cherished his friendship with the American legend, which goes back years.

"Yeah, she came to me like, 'I don't wanna distract you, I don't wanna distract you, but I gotta tell you something.' It was just like one sentence, you know, she always knows what to tell me, I think," Grigor Dimitrov told Tennis Channel. "In any given moment, I think, my friendship with her means so much to me."

"And been able to keep it that way throughout the years, and of course, having her coming to watch me like, 'I don't wanna distract you.' I was like, 'You actually helped me!' So, you know, again it's very humbling... those are the moments that keep me going."

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"Serena Williams is amazing, we nearly speak on a daily basis" - Grigor Dimitrov

Serena Williams and Grigor Dimitrov at the 2019 Australian Open

Grigor Dimitrov divulged further details about his relationship with Serena Williams during his post-match press conference. The former World No. 3 claimed that he and the 42-year-old keep tabs on each others' lives regularly.

He also disclosed that she was also out there supporting him when he got his first-career top 10 win against Tomas Berdych at the 2012 Miami Open.

"She's amazing. We stay in touch. We nearly speak on a daily basis. She said, 'I'm gonna come watch.' I was, like, 'Okay.' It's always very humbling to have such a supporter in your corner," Grigor Dimitrov said. "Actually, I remember she was even here when I had my first top-10 win. It was a very nice moment. I think we both remember that."

The 32-year-old added that making friends while traveling on the pro tour was the "best part" about tennis.

"It's friendship, man. I think this is the best part. Tennis is tennis, but, you know, we are all living our dream right now. I think the real life begins after, and I think we have managed to be such good and close friends after so many years," he said. "And again, to be able to lean on, to share thoughts, ideas, and sometimes to even vent, someone that actually played tennis, right? It helps a lot."