Grigor Dimitrov claims the partnership with David Nalbandian has gone "so naturally" so far and adds they have a clear plan of what needs to be done.
After suffering a brutal pectoral injury while being up by two sets against Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon round-of-16, the former world No. 3 played only one tournament for the rest of 2025.
Before the start of the 2026 season, Dimitrov added former three-time ATP champion Xavier Malisse to his team. However, that wasn't the end of the 34-year-old's additions to the team after he also hired 2002 Wimbledon finalist Nalbandian last week.
Nalbandian, 44, and 45-year-old Malisse were still very much active on the Tour when Dimitrov first showed up on the scene. And after competing against the two early in his career, the Bulgarian is happy to work with someone who perfectly understands him.
Dimitrov: It is nice when you can relate to someone that you have played… It goes naturally
“I knew them separately, and it also helps when you’ve played against them a few times. It’s nice when you can relate to someone that you have played. They have been retired for over 10 years, but it’s also not that long ago," the current world No. 44 told ATP Media in Acapulco.
“At the beginning, when I got into conversations with them, we really started to see things similarly and I could relate to them in terms of the timing of their careers, injuries, game plan, thoughts, and all of that. In a way, it happened so naturally. Right now, we are still finding our footing, because it’s very new for all of us, but things are very clear of what needs to be done and how we want to tackle the game.”
Unfortunately for Dimitrov, his start to 2026 hasn't been great as he is only 1-3 through his opening three tournaments of the year. However, he has a chance to turn the page this week in Acapulco, where he plays Terance Atmane in the first round.
Dimitrov has had success in Acapulco throughout his career, winning the title in 2014 and reaching the semifinal in 2020.
