"I made an excellent match and today I'm just happy," said Grigor Dimitrov after match, which provide him with first win of 8 games over Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the China Open. Bulgarian added that Rafa was one of the greatest sources of inspiration for him over the years and has always managed to learn something new from every collision with the Spaniard.
"I never played well enough in Asia, but now we finally get accustomed to the courts - said Grigor. - In recent days, conditions changed repeatedly played lowered, without it, temperatures fell sharply ... there were so many components that had to take into account.
Nadal is one of the greatest fighters on the court and have enormous respect for him. I am proud of my success today because I managed to keep a high concentration, I am pleased and conditionals respect after several long matches in previous rounds.
"Today I was able to read better serve Rafa, but at the same time there are problems with the way I toss the ball before the kick off. And when you experience difficulty on serve against Nadal, this makes the situation even more complicated. I had a good feeling about the game today, choosing the correct strokes and generally playing markedly aggressive tennis, while control more rallies and I was steady from the baseline. I did quite the right way today.
Efforts finally pay off. The hardest part of the battle against Nadal psychological aspects. Many players fail to be equivalent to a point, but falter for a few minutes, skipped a few beats and suddenly Rafa already has equaled or outcome is far ahead. Against him you know you have to play every point 100%.
At one point the game becomes more a matter of psychological collision. Surely this is one of my biggest wins, but there are those who mean more to me. Of course, to beat Rafa has always been one of my goals, but as I have said many times - if I did not just go back into the Top 10, but to get to №1 in the world, have each week to stand up against these players and to win. At the moment I just want to look at this success as another match.
There were times this season, which definitely was not happy about the game and my training. Many thoughts raced through my head and I wanted to arrange them in a certain way. At one point I said, "okay, you have to do small steps." It is not easy to take such a decision when you were in the Top 10. I had to get back to the basics of the game and give my all, how much I love tennis. "
Grigor commented Milos Raonic, against whom he will face in the semifinals: "He has great service, we have already met several times and the flooring here is comfortable for both of us. Both can not wait to start this game, so let a rest well and getting back on the court tomorrow. "
The meeting between Dimitrov and Raonic is the last program of the Centre Court.
