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Wimbledon diary – Day three: Grigor Dimitrov and Maria Sharapova support each other from afar

Reem Abulleil

10:56 02/07/2015

Grigor Dimitrov was in a good mood after beating Steve Johnson yesterday which is probably why he indulged the media and answered some cheeky questions about girls, namely his main girl Maria Sharapova.

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The Bulgarian world No11 was told by a journalist that Boris Becker had tipped him to be the next big thing in tennis provided he didn’t get distracted, to which Dimitrov responded: “I’m always distracted,” he said laughing. “Kidding. Depends on what kind of distractions we are talking about here.

“Obviously I know Boris is… he’s a great guy and I always had a good relationship with him. Even when we see each other in the locker room, he always smiles at me and we always have a little bit of a chat. 

“I get the meaning behind that, and I appreciate all the words that he had to say about me. I would love when that day when I can prove everyone wrong and also prove to myself I can be the best I can.”

Dimitrov and his girlfriend Sharapova were scheduled for back-to-back matches on Court 2 yesterday but neither one of them were able to head out to the stands to support the other due to their own pre and post-match rituals.

“I would love to (go out and watch her), but I’ve got to take care of my body and talk to you guys. There are a lot of things I need to do before that. And she finished quite fast,” said Dimitrov.

Asked if they ever analysed each others’ games, he said: “It’s always good when you have a grand slam champion on your side. Obviously it helps. One tip can change everything for you, one sentence. It’s always good to have that on your side. Of course it’s a plus, appreciating advice and anything that comes from her.”

However, Sharapova gave quite the formal answer when asked about how they navigate their lives when they’re at the same tournament and whether they discuss each others’ games.

“I think we’re quite professional in what we do. We try to separate our match times and go about our business as we would in any other careers, respect each other very much. When we’re out here, we’re doing our job and trying to do the best we can,” said the five-time major champion.

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