Digitally doped Dimitrov claims Brisbane International

Grigor Dimitrov revealed on Sunday that late night trips to a Brisbane video arcade had helped him relax ahead of his matches at the Brisbane International.

Grigor Dimitrov claimed his first title in more than two years at the Brisbane International. Reuters/Steve Holland

The 25-year-old Bulgarian claimed his first title in more than two years when he upset world number five Kei Nishikori in three sets to win the Roy Emerson Trophy 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. It was his fourth singles title on the ATP Tour.

“I’d been going to the arcades for an hour and a half,” said Dimitrov, who will rise to 15th in the world as a result of the triumph. “It's given me tremendous joy. You know, it's something so childish but every time I was going to bed, I was, like: 'Wow, that feels so good'. It was just something so small."

The win was his first over Nishikori in four attempts and will make him one of the dark horses for the Australian Open which starts on 16 January in Melbourne.

Nicknamed "Baby Fed" because of his similar playing style to the Swiss 17 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Dimitrov was ranked as high as eighth in the world in 2014.
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But, injury problems, poor form and a highly publicised relationship with Maria Sharapova combined to propel a slump during 2015 and the first half of 2016 when he fell to 40th in the world.

There were encouraging performances towards the end of 2016 and he entered the season opener in Brisbane ranked 17th. There were notable scalps on his way to the crown. He beat the fourth seed Dominic Thiem in the quarter-final and swept past the top seed Milos Raonic in straight sets in the semi-final.

Dimitrov said he had not felt under pressure because of his slide in the rankings. “I knew I would eventually get the rewards for the hard work I’ve been doing off court.

"I think that was kind of an emotional win for me, but at the same time, it wasn't unexpected," he said. "I think I have put in the work. I think I have learnt a lot.
"I have set myself quite high goals for the first six months, and one of them was actually to win a tournament," he added. "And it happened during the first week of the year."