World number 19 Grigor Dimitrov is set to begin working with Argentinian coach Franco Devin during the start of his Asian campaign.
According to sources at tenniskafe.com, Davin has been hired for a short-term period and the two will start working at the Malaysian Open which begins next week. During the trial period, the two will also work with each other in Tokyo. After the two tournaments, Dimitrov will evaluate the partnership before making a decision about continuing with Davin. The Bulgarian number 1 is yet to formally comment on Davin, however, in a recent interview with Malaysian newspaper, The Star, he said that he is currently exploring coaching options.
“As for coaching, it will take time because it’s not easy to find the right person and a motivator. I’m exploring a few options and we’ll see how it’ll develop with that.” He said.
Davin had worked with Juan Martin Del Potro for seven years (2008-2015) before they parted from each other. Under Devin’s observation Del Potro won 13 ATP titles and an Olympic bronze medal.
The reported partnership comes following a troublesome US Open series for the 24-year-old. Since June Dimitrov has spiralled down the rankings from 11th to 19th. At the US Open he lost in the second round to world No.56 Mikhail Kukushkin. He hasn’t reached the last eight of a tournament since the Madrid Open in May. Despite the recent disappointment, The Bulgarian remains upbeat.
“There has been a lot of changes for me this year and it causes a bit of commotion for just about everything”. He told The Star.
“But I’ve not played badly with a number of pretty close matches. There’s still quite a few tournaments left and my main goal is to stay healthy and work through each match. I just need to have the faith in myself to perform.”. He added.
Dimitrov will be the fourth seed in next week’s Malaysian Open. He will be bidding to win his first ATP title since the 2014 Aegon Championship in London.
