Around this time last year, Dimitrov consistently hovered between 25 and 30. On the back of a strong close to 2023 that has carried over to the start of this season, the former world No. 3 entered Indian Wells ranked No. 13—improving to 14-3 with his 7-5, 6-2 win over Alexandre Muller.
“When it comes to a different generation, yeah, we're going to see less and less,” says Dimitrov about single-handed backhands. “For sure I'm counting on every guy that's still out there with one hand to keep on pushing and playing for that. Of course I will probably be the biggest supporter of that shot.
“I think the beauty of the one hand is just there's so much to it in order to hit the ball right with one hand. It starts with the timing, looking at the ball, the swing, the height.”
In January, Dimitrov ended his six-plus year title drought when he triumphed over Holger Rune in Brisbane. Following a surprising third-round exit to Nuno Borges at the Australian Open, he regrouped indoors with a runner-up finish in Marseille and semifinal showing in Rotterdam.
