Article by Vogue. 

All Eyes Are On Grigor Dimitrov.

Ordering a tomato-and-avocado omelette at a café in L.A.’s Manhattan Beach, the tanned, square-jawed young man across the table could easily be taken for another protein-chasing Hollywood hopeful. But this is Grigor Dimitrov, one of tennis’s brightest new stars, Maria Sharapova’s boyfriend, and perhaps the biggest story going into this month’s U.S. Open.

Ten days earlier, the Bulgarian-born 23-year-old dismantled defending British champion Andy Murray in straight sets at Wimbledon—in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, no less—before meeting number-one seed Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. (Big-serving 23-year-old Canadian player Milos Raonic, the other young gun in the semifinals, folded against Roger Federer.) With bravura court coverage and flexibility, Dimitrov then pushed the famously fit Serbian to two tiebreaks in four tight sets. Forced to defend three set points in the fourth-set tiebreak, Djokovic let fly audible growls of frustration before pulling through to take the match.

“I was playing against a future star,” Djokovic said afterward. It was the first time Dimitrov had broken into the top ten (he’s now at nine), and the only time a Bulgarian had played in a men’s Grand Slam semifinal. (In a surge of national pride, he was named “an honorary citizen of Varna.”)

“I was hungry to win that match,” Dimitrov says, in a Burberry T-shirt and Rick Owens shorts, a Cartier bracelet on his forearm. “Losing the tiebreak was tough. If I had taken that fourth set, I think I could have turned things around. But obviously it wasn’t meant to happen at that time.” That it will happen for Dimitrov seems more a question of when than if. “I think we’re seeing a bit of a seismic shift,” says ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert.
“All the younger guys want to see somebody of their own generation win a Slam, and I think Dimitrov is the closest. He’s a tremendous all-rounder.”

The only child of a tennis coach and a gym teacher, Dimitrov picked up a racket at three in his southern hometown of Haskovo, and never wanted to do anything else. Seeing his potential, his father coached him until age sixteen; Dimitrov moved to Ojai, Barcelona, then Paris. “I knew that I wanted to go big,” Dimitrov says. As the World No. 1 junior player, he won the boys’ singles titles at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2008. Transitioning fully to the pros at eighteen, though, was a challenge: “I couldn’t put it together for some reason. The other players were just mentally better.”

Dimitrov credits his recent turnaround to Roger Rasheed, a former Australian Rules football player who’s worked with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Lleyton Hewitt. “What was there was raw talent,” says Dimitrov’s new coach. “But he was going to matches with a lot of artillery and not knowing how to use it.” Since they joined forces in October, the general view is that Dimitrov has undergone a transformation—as have his stats. He’s won three ATP titles on three surfaces so far this year.

When he’s not on the tour, Dimitrov lives in Manhattan Beach with Sharapova, his girlfriend of two years. The couple, who he says try not to talk shop at home and find it tense to watch each other play, are just back from a five-day break in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, his second vacation ever. “I’m bad at going on vacation,” he admits. “But I needed it this time. I was so tired.” Dimitrov first saw Sharapova when he was fourteen and she played Lindsay Davenport at the Staples Center. “She is very strong-minded and knows what she wants,” he says admiringly. “It’s why she’s the best at what she does.” How did they get together? “I was the initiator, pretty much,” he admits. “I sent her a funny email and she replied, and back and forth, and that was it.” Like Sharapova’s, Dimitrov’s ambitions extend beyond tennis. He hopes one day to give back to his home country—“I appreciate where I come from,” he says. “I never forget.” He lights up when talking about Rick Owens, Rag & Bone, and Public School, and would love to work on a fashion collaboration: “I’ve always felt that’s something I’m capable of doing—setting up a trend.” In the meantime, he’s enjoying what his hard work has yielded. Compliment his TAG Heuer (a gift from Maria), and he’ll tell you excitedly about his growing watch collection. And mention the rumor he’s got a thing for nice cars, and he’ll suggest you check out the one he has parked outside.

Which is how, fifteen minutes later, I find myself riding shotgun, strapped down by a fire-red seat belt in Dimitrov’s new silver Mercedes SLS with scissor doors. “I’m a guy; it gives me joy,” he says, shrugging and grinning. On the main thoroughfare, Dimitrov guns it; I grip the seat. “Have you been pulled over?” I ask. “No, but I’m sure I will. I like the adrenaline to kick in. It’s too dangerous for me right now, but I like extreme sports a lot.” His revved-up boyishness reminds me of something his friend and fellow pro Tommy Haas points out. “He’s still this young kid who is coming up and getting to experience all of these unbelievable things,” says Haas. “He’s got that aura about him.”

“Where did you park?” Dimitrov asks. “I’ll drop you off.” I respond with something vague because today, I decide, is not the day the heir apparent of men’s tennis is going to meet my Subaru. Dimitrov is heading back to practice, getting ready for tournaments in Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, and Toronto, though his eye remains firmly on the big prize.

“I think mental preparation is really important,” he says. “Every day you’ve got to imagine your goal. And my goal is to really do damage at the U.S. Open.”