Big things were expected of Grigor Dimitrov this season after he broke through to claim the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017. Expectations were nothing new for the gifted Bulgarian.

He has been grappling with them all his tennis life. But after arriving Down Under at a career-high No. 3 in the ATP Rankings in January, 2018 hasn’t quite lived up to Dimitrov’s own expectations.

It was during a four-year stint working with Patrick Mouratoglou that Dimitrov was warned talent was dangerous as it made an athlete think they could succeed without working.

“I just think talent helps you win matches sometimes, but it’s very different,” the No. 5 seed said ahead of his Rogers Cup campaign in Toronto on Sunday. “Sometimes when you have too many things in your bag it’s always hard. 

“I never look at myself through that side to be honest. Yes, maybe I’m talented but talent doesn’t necessarily win matches. It helps you, but it doesn’t win matches. 

“If it does you might win two, three, four matches but that’s it. If you want to be a Grand Slam champion, if you want to be No. 1, there are so many other things you need to be doing in order to get to that point. Of course it adds up to the occasion but (talent) is not the ultimate goal.”

On top of his biggest career title at the O2 Arena in November, Dimitrov had also landed his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last August. With big points to defend in the second half of the season it makes this US hard-court stretch crucial for the 28-year-old.

“It depends on what you’re focusing on,” Dimitrov said. “I’ve never been the type of player that likes to focus on prize money, points, things like that.

“I like to always see the positives. I know it was tough losing that first round (to Stan Wawrinka) at Wimbledon but at the same time I need to take the positives out of that negative situation. I know one of the hardest things in tennis is to stay positive after a loss. 

“Every match is very important for me right now. I’m not trying to get back to No. 2, 3, 4, whatever it is. I’m really focused on the big picture and the things I want to get better at. 

“Sometimes one, two, three matches it can really turn it around for you again. If you stay compact, stay smart and do the right things you just never known when the tables might turn for you.” 

A LOOK BACK
Sopot Open (Gdynia, Poland): Paolo Lorenzi joined an exclusive club on Sunday in Sopot, becoming just the third player to lift 20 singles trophies on the ATP Challenger Tour. The Italian veteran outlasted Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3 in two hours and 59 minutes, in what was the longest final of the year on the circuit.

Lorenzi joins 29-time titlist Yen-Hsun Lu and 22-time winner Dudi Sela as the only players in the ’20 Titles Club’. Back inside the Top 100 at No. 97, he also owns an ATP World Tour crown in Kitzbuhel in 2016.

“I think I played better and better as the match went on,” said Lorenzi. “I made him run more and more in the third set. I think that was the key to the match.”

The Sopot Open is back on the ATP Challenger Tour for the first time since 2011, under the direction of former doubles star Mariusz Fyrstenberg. It is now the third Challenger in Poland, along with the Poznan Open and Pekao Szczecin Open, which took home Tournament of the Year honours in 2016.

International Challenger Chengdu (Chengdu, China): Zhang Ze claimed a historic victory for his native China, becoming the first player from the Asian nation to claim multiple Challenger crowns. The 28-year-old, who won his maiden title last year in San Francisco, lifted the trophy when top seed Henri Laaksonen retired with a left adductor injury in Sunday’s final.

“I feel so lucky to win the title,” said Zhang. “I do feel sorry for him (Laaksonen), but I am proud that I didn’t throw the match away after a bad start from the first set. This is always one of my goals, to win a title in my country. I know I haven’t been performing well in the first half of the year, but I hope I can do much better.”

The top player from China, Zhang will rise 77 spots to No. 182. The week was a special one in the emerging tennis country, as compatriot Wu Yibing reached the quarter-finals in his return from injury. The 18-year-old is back on the rise with a fresh approach and new coaching team, led by Sven Groeneveld.

Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships (Lexington, U.S.A.): Lloyd Harris became the first player from South Africa to prevail on the ATP Challenger Tour in five years. The Cape Town native scored his maiden title 6-4, 6-3 over Stefano Napolitano, lifting the trophy without dropping a set all week in Lexington.

Harris is the first South African winner since current Vancouver tournament director Rik De Voest in 2013. The 21-year-old joins Ugo Humbert as #NextGenATP winners on Sunday – the 13th and 14th players aged 21 & under to triumph on the Challenger circuit this year. 

Lloyd Harris is the champion in Lexington, claiming his maiden #ATPChallenger title without dropping a set.

First ?? winner since @RikdeVoest in 2013.

Congrats @lloydharris63 ?? pic.twitter.com/rPC1DedR2s

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 5, 2018

Open Castilla y Leon (Segovia, Spain): The 33rd edition of the hard-court event in Segovia saw its second straight champion aged 20 & under. Last year, home favourite Jaume Munar took the title and on Sunday it was France’s Ugo Humbert claiming his maiden crown.

Humbert defeated second seed Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 6-3, 6-4 for the title. It marked the third consecutive week in which the 20-year-old Frenchman was appearing in a Challenger final, after finishing runner-up on Canadian soil in both Gatineau (l. to Klahn) and Granby (l. to Polansky). He rises 43 spots to a career-high No. 141 in the ATP Rankings, having sat outside the Top 300 just three months ago.

French #NextGenATP Winners

Svijany Open (Liberec, Czech Republic): Andrej Martin captured his second title on the clay of Liberec, dethroning defending champion Pedro Sousa 6-1, 6-2 in 66 minutes. The Slovak previously lifted the trophy in 2014 and was at his ruthless best this week, not relinquishing more than three games in any set. It was the ninth Challenger title for the 28-year-old.

A LOOK AHEAD
The Nordic Naturals Challenger in scenic Aptos, California, celebrates its 31st anniversary next week. Thomas Fabbiano is the top seed, with Michael Mmoh second, Quentin Halys third and Thanasi Kokkinakis fourth.

The two-week Chinese swing concludes in Jinan, with Zhang Ze looking to go back-to-back on home soil. Newport finalist Ramkumar Ramanathan leads the field at the $150,000 event. Meanwhile, at the scenic hard-court stop in Portoroz, Slovenia, defending champion Sergiy Stakhovsky is the top seed.

Finally, the IsarOpen in Pullach, Germany, makes its debut. Jan-Lennard Struff leads the home charge, with Saturday’s Kitzbuhel winner Martin Klizan seeded fifth.

The strongest field of the 2018 ATP World Tour season thus far is in Toronto for the Rogers Cup. Twenty-six of the Top 27 players in the ATP Rankings will play, headlined by three-time champion and World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, four-time winner Novak Djokovic, and reigning titlist Alexander Zverev.

View Draw

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN TORONTO
1) Rafa Rolling: Nadal and Roger Federer exchanged the No. 1 ranking six times in the first six months of 2018. After advancing further than Federer at Wimbledon, Nadal now leads his longtime rival by 2,230 ATP Ranking points. Nadal is making his first appearance in Toronto since 2010, though the Spaniard has played the last seven Rogers Cups in Montreal.

2) Comeback Complete: Djokovic went 6-6 to begin the season following a six-month hiatus due to a right elbow injury. He’s gone 19-3 since then, winning his fourth Wimbledon title. In the semi-finals, Djokovic defeated Nadal 10-8 in the fifth set after five hours and 15 minutes.

3) Mastering 1000s: Zverev captured his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open in May to join the ‘Big Four’ as the only active players with that many trophies at this level. In his opening match in Montreal last year, Zverev outlasted Richard Gasquet in a 49-shot rally to save a match point, then saved two more match points against the Frenchman. He went on to defeat Federer 6-3, 6-4 for the title.

4) Delpo’s Surge: This time one year ago, Juan Martin del Potro was No. 31 in the ATP Rankings. But the Argentine is arguably in some of the best form of his life, and if Zverev does not capture the Citi Open title on Sunday, Del Potro will climb to a career-best No. 3 on Monday. The ‘Tower of Tandil’ earned his first Masters 1000 triumph earlier this year at the BNP Paribas Open.

5) Remember When: Then-No. 143 Denis Shapovalov defeated Del Potro and Nadal en route to the 2017 Montreal semi-finals. At the age of 18, Shapovalov became the youngest ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-finalist in series history and the lowest-ranked since No. 191 Andrei Pavel in Paris 15 years ago to reach the last four.

6) Good Company: During his run in Montreal, Shapovalov stayed at the home of fellow Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is his doubles partner this year.. #NextGenATP 17-year-old Auger-Aliassime  is set for his Rogers Cup main draw singles debut. The five-time Grand Slam junior finalist turns 18 on 8 August.

7) Anderson Returns: After playing for 23 hours and 20 minutes at the All England Club, Wimbledon runner-up Kevin Anderson returns to the ATP World Tour this week. Anderson defeated Federer 13-11 in the fifth set in the quarter-finals and John Isner 26-24 in the fifth set in the semi-finals before falling in the championship match to Djokovic.

8) Wildest Cards: Stan Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 3, is one of the wild cards in Toronto. The Swiss, who made the semi-finals in Toronto two years ago before losing to Kei Nishikori, is still on the comeback trail from knee surgeries.

9) 30-Love: Former World No. 1 doubles player Daniel Nestor will make his 30th straight Rogers Cup appearance before retiring this fall. The Toronto resident is 45-27 with two titles and 12 partners at his home event. Nestor teams with countryman Vasek Pospisil for the third straight Rogers Cup.

10) Magnificent Matchups: As always, there are plenty of captivating first-round matches to watch. Talented Aussie Nick Kyrgios, the 16th seed, faces Wawrinka in their fifth FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic faces reigning Next Gen ATP Finals winner Hyeon Chung, 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin competes against former World No. 3 Milos Raonic and No. 11 seed Diego Schwartzman plays British No. 1 Kyle Edmund.

The “Mexican Double” will have to wait till next year.

Italian Fabio Fognini stunned Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to win the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos. It’s Fognini’s eighth ATP World Tour title but his first on hard courts. The 31-year-old had previously triumphed only on clay.

But Fognini showed another level against Del Potro and added another accolade to what is quietly becoming one of his best years on tour. He’s won three ATP World Tour titles this season (Sao Paulo, Bastad), a career best, and on Monday, Fognini is projected to rise one spot in the ATP Rankings to No. 14, only one mark off his career-high of No. 13, which he last reached more than four years ago, in April 2014.

Del Potro had won their only prior FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (2015 Sydney) and was going for his second title in Mexico this year (Acapulco, d. Anderson). He started perfectly, leading 3-0 and having little trouble with Fognini’s attempts to bring him to net with drop shots.

But Fognini settled in, defending from all parts of the court and using his forehand to push Del Potro behind the baseline. The Argentine, after a strong start, lost his way, even on his usually reliable forehand wing. Fognini returned everything in play and took his chances with Del Potro’s second serve, winning 71 per cent of those points (15/21). The Italian won 12 of the final 15 games.

“It was a good week for me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play my best tennis in the final. But Fabio deserved to win. He played a very smart game. He took all the chances to win, and I think he’s a good winner of the tournament. But in many ways I’m looking forward to keep playing better and better in the next tournaments,” Del Potro said.

Fognini will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and $127,635 in prize money; Del Potro will receive 150 ATP Rankings points and $67,220.

The Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex has a homegrown tennis champion. Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mexican Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela won the Los Cabos doubles title on Saturday evening, beating #NextGenATP American Taylor Fritz and Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-4, 6-4.

It’s the first time since 1995 that a Mexican has won an ATP World Tour title on home soil. Mexico’s Leonardo Lavalle and Javier Frana of Argentina won the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC when it was still held in Mexico City.

“This is a very special moment for me, at home with the Mexican crowd, hungry to get a title,” Reyes-Varela said. “We’ve been playing for a little over a year now… We’ve had a great year and to have this title and share it with [Arevalo] is super special.”

The third seeds saved all three break points and converted two of their 12 break opportunities against Fritz/Kokkinakis, who were playing in their first tournament together and will receive 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $20,380 in prize money.

Arevalo/Reyes-Varela improved to 6-3 as a team and were playing in their second ATP World Tour final (Newport 2018, l. to Erlich/Sitak). The pairing will receive 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $38,780 in prize money.

“Our first final, it wasn’t that great. I think we were a little bit tight,” Arevalo said. “But today, I think we were more ready – we went for it.”