Grigor Dimitrov suffered a heartbreaking injury setback at the Wimbledon championships last year.
The Bulgarian faced top seed and eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the fourth round at the All England Club, and had impressively taken the first two sets in the match.
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At 2-2 in the third, however, Dimitrov injured his pectoral muscle and was forced to retire from the match.
He was ultimately sidelined for nearly four months, making his return to ATP action at the Paris Masters in October.
Now, ahead of his run at the Mexican Open this week, Dimitrov revealed how the injury has since changed his approach to tennis.
Grigor Dimitrov reflects on his time out after the injury
In an interview with Tennis TV, Dimitrov said: “Well, my injury did [change his approach to the offseason].
“I think that it was, in a way, inevitable. I had to change things out whether I liked it or not.
“So, it was also more of the work that I had to do for myself, not so much from the physical aspect, but more from a mental point of view, because I’ve always done things in a certain way, in the amount of hours I could have put in to gain fitness and everything.
“So, I really had to change a lot of things. And that played a little bit of a mind game with me, I feel. And it’s normal, but at the same time, I think it was very good.
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“I’m trying to find the silver lining in everything that kind of happens to me from that aspect. I’ve never really been injured.
“I’ve never really experienced being away from the sport for so long. So, it was new for me. Extremely new.”
Grigor Dimitrov’s results on the ATP Tour so far this season
Dimitrov has featured at three tournaments so far this season, with a win-loss record of 1-3.
He kicked off his 2026 campaign at the Brisbane International, where he claimed his first and only win of the year so far against Pablo Carreno Busta before being knocked out by Raphael Collignon.
At the Australian Open, Dimitrov suffered a first-round exit to Tomas Machac, who beat him in straight sets.
The former world number three’s last appearance was at the Dallas Open, where, again, he lost in the first round; this time to American star Alex Michelsen.
Dimitrov will now get his Mexican Open run underway, set to face Cincinnati Open semifinalist Terence Atmane first.
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