World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov has opened about his relationships with ex-girlfriends, five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and American superstar Serena Williams.
Dimitrov ended his 2017 campaign with the biggest title triumph of his career by capturing the year-end Championships, the ATP Finals, at the O2 Arena in London in November. The Bulgarian in a way had a splendid season as he rose to No. 3 in the world rankings, secured his maiden Masters crown in Cincinnati and reached the Australian Open semis where he was beaten by 16-time Major winner Rafael Nadal.
Speaking to Italian media outlet La Repubblica, Dimitrov insisted that he has been perceived in a negative way: “I think I was misunderstood. Or rather, not knowing me, people have made a wrong idea. Of course, there were moments of difficulty, in which I was not surrounded by the right people.”
“Let’s forget the cliche on girlfriends, from Serena to Sharapova, needless to be around. I say it’s easy to get lost in beauty, but is it a mistake then? It is not that in my life I entered the McLaren store and bought everything I wanted. That’s why today with Nicole (Scherzinger), my current girlfriend, I pay attention to privacy.”
“Tennis is a particular world, it changes people. And, depending on temperament and DNA, it can also lead to wrong paths if the choices are not right. This is why I always say that tennis cannot be everything for me; other things also count in life. I do not want to be good at one thing in life; I would like to do something else. Teach maybe. I want to be an example for the younger players that will come after me. If I did not contribute anything, why did I ever live? I would like to define myself as a boy with many passions. I like painting, photographing, designing, creating objects.”
