Grigor Dimitrov
In July 2008, Grigor Dimitrov beat Henri Kontinen of Finland in straight sets to win the Wimbledon Boys' singles title and become the first player from Bulgaria to lift the prestigious title. Dimitrov, 17 years old and seeded nine, did not drop a set en route to the final and removed third seed Cesar Ramirez of Mexico in the quarter-finals.
Dimitrov's victory was not a surprise because in 2007 he had reached consecutive singles semi-finals in Germany and Austria before making a memorable start to his US Open junior debut by reaching the final of the doubles with Vasek Pospisil.
The young Bulgarian followed up his Wimbledon victory by adding the US Open Junior title to his growing C.V. However, the most significant indication of Grigor's bright future was the manner of his victories in two ATP pro Tour titles, as he won back to back $10,000 futures tournaments.
Prior to that, 2006 had seen Dimitrov confirm his status as one of the most promising juniors in tennis with victories in the Eddie Herr 16s singles and the Orange Bowl 16s championship, the unofficial World Championships.
These are two of the most prestigious tournaments in the junior game, and have served as a springboard to the professional tour for players such as Steffi Graf, Andy Roddick and Roger Federer. What was particularly satisfying for everyone connected to the Bulgarian star was that he is the only player to have ever captured both titles since the Orange Bowl moved to hard courts in 1998.
And it’s not surprising that this was a unique achievement. With these Florida tournaments running successively, Dimitrov had to overcome a punishing schedule of 12 matches in 12 days - a tough call for even the most hardened ATP tour pro, never mind a junior.
For enquiries contact Octagon
Personal details
Date of birth: 16 May 1991
Place of birth: Haskovo, Bulgaria
Honours and achievements
2008: Won US Open Boys' singles title
2008: Won Wimbledon Boys' singles title
2006: Champion at Orange Bowl 16s, and Eddie Herr International 16s
2006: Singles and doubles champion at Kenana Cup, Bulgaria
2005: Champion Eddie Herr international 14s, finalists junior Orange Bowl