Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov may not have beaten runner-up Rafael Nadal in this semifinal, but he certainly won a lot of fans, respect and confidence that should carry him back up the rankings this year.
"I think Grigor played great,” Nadal said. “I played great [too]. So was a great quality of tennis tonight.”
It is very easy to get frustrated playing the Spaniard, who makes you work for virtually every point. So after dropping a tight third set and serving second in the fourth, it couldn’t have been easy to stand in Dimitrov’s shoes. But he forced a decider and earned a huge break opportunity.
The 25-year-old was up 4-3 in the fifth, with two break points to then serve for his first Grand Slam final. But in trademark Nadal fashion, Nadal held him off, finding a way to claim his spot in Federer vs. Nadal XXXV.
