LONDON: Describing his journey this week as a ‘gift,’ troublesome weather and a slippy court failed to deter Feliciano Lopez as he outlasted Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, to reach the final of the Aegon Championships.
35-year-old Lopez is ranked 21 places lower than Dimitrov, but experience can never be underestimated. So far in his career, the Spaniard has won almost twice as many matches on the ATP Tour than Dimitrov (444-232) and is a three-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist.
“Experience is always important. It’s not only today,” Said Lopez. ”Also the fact that I have been winning many matches lately. I reach the finals in Stuttgart. It was four matches won there.” He added.
Illustrating his grass-court skills, the Spaniard looked on course to clinch a comfortable victory after sealing a late break in the opening set. The momentum then grounded to a halt as the rain fell, forcing both players back to the locker room. Mother nature seemed to benefit world No.11 Dimitrov the most. A backhand winner combined with an error from his opponent secured him a 5-3 lead when play resumed. He then levelled up the match after closing the second set out with back-to-back aces.
With everything to play for at The Queen’s Club, Lopez’s attack was greeted by some sublime defence of Dimitrov. During one of the Bulgarian’s service games a total of six opportunities came and went for Lopez. Eventually he managed to break down the wall two games later with the help of a forehand volley crashing into the next from Dimitrov. Avoiding the scare, Lopez approached the finished line with ease as his opponent continued to falter in the somewhat cooler conditions.
“It is true that during the week the weather was perfect, it was sunny and the court was dry, but today the court was still dry.” The Spaniard replied when asked about the conditions.
“Conditions were windy a little bit. That’s it. The rest was very similar.”
Surging with confidence, gaining momentum
Lopez doesn’t attribute his latest surge in form to any kind of physical activity. Instead, he believes it has been caused by the power of his mind. Today was his eighth win on the grass this season, emulating his winning run in 2014. It is an impressive achievement for the third oldest player currently in the world’s top-40 after Ivo Karlovic and Roger Federer.
“I came on court today with a lot of confidence. Right now it’s all about, confidence in tennis. It’s not 100%, but nearly 80 or 90% is on the mental part.” He explained.
“Today I came also on the court with a lot of confidence. I lost the second set, but I still believed that if I keep playing as I was playing the whole week, I will have a chance to win the match. This is what happened in the end.”
As a Spanish player, one stereotypically assumes that it is the clay that Lopez loves the most. It is, however incorrect as he also grew up once dreaming of lifting the Queen’s Club title, which he nearly did in 2014. Now a win away from winning the trophy, the passion he feels is no less.
“When I was younger, I was watching Queen’s all the time, and it’s one of those tournaments that you always want to play. For me, it’s so special to be in the finals.”
Standing in the way of a London triumph is world No.7 Marin Cilic, a player who has only dropped serve once in the tournament. Lopez trails 5-2 in his head-to-head with the Croat, but this doesn’t concern him. Instead, he relishes in his joyful rise in 2017, which started with a injury setback.
“This year hasn’t been great for me. Started the year injury in Australia. So it’s a gift for me to be again in the finals, especially here.” He concluded.
A win on Sunday would give Lopez his sixth ATP title. Meanwhile Cilic is gunning for his 12th.
