WATCH: Grigor Dimitrov Has To Be Helped Off Court After Brutal Miami Battle
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Grigor Dimitrov showed incredible defiance to overcome Francisco Cerundolo at the 2025 Miami Open, but it came with a heavy physical cost.
The Bulgarian saved a match point and ultimately won a grueling match 6-7, 6-4, 7-6. Afterward, he could barely walk to his chair, and Cerundolo greeted him at his side of the net to shake hands.
Dimitrov eventually sat down, but that did not make him feel any better. The video below from the Tennis Channel's X (formerly Twitter) page showed how much he struggled immediately after the match ended.
The 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist breathed heavily in his chair and felt light-headed. A doctor came to the court and checked his blood pressure since Dimitrov did not feel able to walk by himself.
A tournament doctor and an ATP physio helped Dimitrov off the court. Thankfully, his condition did not worsen any further, and he made it to the changing rooms safely and without any injuries or medical episodes.
Dimitrov must be very relieved that he did not play on Thursday. Recovering from such a brutal match after feeling unwell afterward would have been a tough ask, especially for a veteran who is 33.
That match was the only ATP quarterfinal to be completed on Wednesday at the Miami Open. Novak Djokovic's contest with Sebastian Korda had to be postponed because other matches ran too late.
Dimitrov is two victories away from winning a second Masters 1000 title. His sole triumph was at the 2017 Cincinnati Open, defeating Nick Kyrgios, who won his first singles match in over two years in Miami, in the final.
The Bulgarian came close at last year's Miami Open. His run to the final included overcoming Carlos Alcaraz, but Jannik Sinner proved far too strong in the final. The Italian easily won with a dominant performance.
Sinner's absence from the 2025 edition of the Miami Open opened the draw. He has dominated on hard courts since the start of 2024, winning the last three Grand Slams on the surface and the 2024 ATP Finals.
The world No. 1 will miss two more Masters 1000 tournaments at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters and 2025 Madrid Open, although his coach Darren Cahill strongly hinted that he would not play in Monte-Carlo anyway before his suspension until May 4th was announced.
Sinner received a ban from February 9th until May 4th after settling his case with the World Anti-Doping Agency. He had initially been set for an appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport due to accidentally testing positive for the banned substance clostebol.
World No. 2 Alexander Zverev and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz were presented with an excellent opportunity to reduce the gap to Sinner at No. 1 due to his absence. However, Zverev's form has collapsed since the 2025 Australian Open, with the German failing to get past the quarterfinal at five tournaments.
Alcaraz's form has been better than that, winning the title in Rotterdam and getting to the semifinal in Indian Wells. However, the Spaniard is not performing at his best and lost early in Miami to David Goffin.
