Grigor Dimitrov has been busy during the winter break!
The Bulgarian star made a bold move before his return to tennis at the 2025 Paris Masters, as Dimitrov split with his coach, Jamie Delgado.
He wasn’t done there, as Dimitrov soon parted ways with Daniel Vallverdu, his head coach.
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As he prepares to begin his 2026 ATP Tour campaign, Dimitrov has hired a new coach, Xavier Malisse.
Speaking to the media at the Queensland Tennis Centre, as reported by Tennis Majors, Dimitrov shared an update on his coaching situation.
Grigor Dimitrov admits he’s made ‘major changes’ during the off-season
The former world number three isn’t resting on his laurels, as he prepares for his 19th season on tour.
“Xavier [Malisse] is next to me,” he said.
“We’ve decided on a new arrangement. It brings clarity.
“From a fitness point of view, I’ve reshuffled the whole thing. My whole career, as well. Major changes, all of them.”
Dimitrov is determined to start the year strongly, just as he has throughout his career.
“Last year I felt like it started off my season pretty strong, so I’m looking forward to hopefully doing the same thing,” he said.
“But yeah, you never know what to expect at the start of the year. You’ve been practicing for a few weeks straight, so hopefully the things that I’ve been working on in practice can translate over.”
In 2025, Dimitrov began his ATP Tour campaign at the Brisbane International, where he reached the semifinals.
A year earlier, the Bulgarian won the title in Brisbane, ending a seven-year trophy drought.
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He’ll return in 2026 looking to make another deep run, but won’t have it easy, given the quality of players set to appear at the event.
Top eight seeds at the 2026 Brisbane International
- [1] Daniil Medvedev
- [2] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
- [3] Jiri Lehecka
- [4] Tommy Paul
- [5] Denis Shapovalov
- [6] Joao Fonseca
- [7] Cameron Norrie
- [8] Learner Tien
Only time will tell how Dimitrov will perform in his first tournament with Malisse in his corner.
The 2026 Brisbane International is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 4.
Who is Grigor Dimitrov’s new coach, Xavier Malisse?
Malisse enjoyed a successful ATP Tour career, picking up three singles titles and reaching a career-high ranking of 19th in the world.
His biggest wins came in doubles, however, as he won the 2004 French Open and 2011 Indian Wells tournaments.
Retiring in 2013, Malisse soon began coaching his countryman, Ruben Bemelmans.
He later spent time with South Africa’s Lloyd Harris before joining forces with Alexei Popyrin.
It was with Popyrin that Malisse enjoyed the best spell of his coaching career, as the Aussie won the Canadian Open in 2024.
Popyrin also produced one of the biggest upsets in US Open history, knocking out Novak Djokovic in round three.
The pair split in 2025, and Popyrin hired South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira as his replacement.
Malisse certainly knows what he’s doing and will add some real quality to Dimitrov’s coaching set-up.
Quality that will be needed to help Dimitrov keep up with his younger rivals.
Grigor Dimitrov is one of the oldest players in the top 50
At 34, Dimitrov is one of just five players over the age of 30 currently ranked inside the world’s top 50.
| +30 Rank | Name | ATP Rank | Age | Country |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | 4 | 38 | Serbia |
| 2 | Cameron Norrie | 27 | 30 | Great Britain |
| 3 | Arthur Rinderknech | 29 | 30 | France |
| 4 | Lorenzo Sonego | 40 | 30 | Italy |
| 5 | Grigor Dimitrov | 44 | 34 | Bulgaria |
Only Novak Djokovic (38) is older than him among the top 50 players.
If Dimitrov is to continue picking up results on tour, he’ll need to be 100% on top of his fitness, something that has troubled him recently.
Dimitrov has retired from his last five Grand Slam defeats, a worrying record that he won’t want to add to in Melbourne.
After retiring from two sets to love up against Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in July, Dimitrov only played one more singles match in 2025.
Dimitrov beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the Paris Masters before withdrawing from the tournament.
Only time will tell if Dimitrov can stay fit and maintain his level in 2026…
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