"The virus was hard on me": Grigor Dimitrov likely to delay ATP return

Grigor Dimitrov says he's "lucky to be on court right now," with the Bulgarian still experiencing physical effects despite recovering from coronavirus.

Dimitrov, who announced he had the virus following his appearance at the Adria Tour five weeks ago, just returned to play in the UTS in France. He said he had breathing problems during the illness and is still getting back in shape.

"The movement is getting better," he told *Tennis Majors*. "Everything else is kind of going in the right direction, but still not easy to I think recover. The virus was hard on me, I stayed home for about a month. Tired, all the symptoms, everything you could think, so it was no fun.

"I'm just trying to put effort every day right now."

Dimitrov also spoke of the mental challenge of the isolation required during the illness, which added to the difficulty. "You're alone for about 20 days... We should not underestimate the power of the mental state," he said, urging others to follow protocols.

"If we take the right precautions, things will get better."

UTS

He also told L'Equipe the ways he had been impacted physically, dropping around six pounds and experiencing a sharp drop in cardiovascular fitness despite being a young, fit athlete.

"It's not a question of what shape you're in when you get infected," he said.

Consequently, he indicated he is unlikely to play the US Open.

"For everyone, there are a lot of questions, and few answers," Dimitrov said. "For myself, there's also the physical aspect. Mentally, I could. But to put back three kilos of weight in three weeks, play Cincinnati and the US Open, five sets... it seems to me that's a little ambitious.

"There are days when I am good and where I can practice for a long time, and others where I'm tired a lot."

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