Grigor Dimitrov finished the best season of his career with the biggest title of his life.

The Bulgarian won his fifth consecutive match at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, beating David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the season-ending championships during his debut.

It’s the fourth title of Dimitrov’s 2017 – a career-high – and the eighth of his career. The right-hander was already going to climb to a career-high No. 3 in the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings. But now he’ll do so emphatically and with a heap of momentum heading into his 2018 season.

“This makes me even more locked in, more excited about my work, and for what’s to come,” Dimitrov said. “It’s a great platform for me to build on for next year. It’s going to be amazing in the off-season. I know what I have to do in order to do good.”

Read More: Dimitrov: Leaving No Stone Unturned

He became the first debutant to win the Nitto ATP Finals title since Spaniard Alex Corretja in 1998 (d. Moya). The Bulgarian, who finished 5-0 this week in London, will earn $2,549,000 in prize money and 1,500 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

This was the year so many pundits and fans had wanted for Dimitrov – a quartet of titles, a Top 5 finish. It all seems to have changed midway through last season, when he paired with coach Daniel Vallverdu. The Bulgarian was No. 40 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, his lowest position in more than three years, and he had lost both of his ATP World Tour finals.

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But Vallverdu, who had worked with Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych, brought a simplified game plan for Dimitrov, and as the two grew closer, the weekend finishes – and the titles – followed.

“With the right set of mind, with the right people, with the right support, things happen. For me, that period really helped me a lot. I think I needed that,” Dimitrov said. “In that particular moment, I really realised what I really need to work on, who are the real people around me, who really counts on me, who matters to me. There’s so many lessons that I took out of that period.”

The 26-year-old Dimitrov was emotional in his celebration. He lied face first on the court, sobbing. He rose to hug Goffin before hopping to his box and sharing long embraces with his parents, Vallerdu and others.

First-Year Qualifiers Become Nitto ATP Finals Champions

The sixth seed had already beaten Goffin at The O2 — a 6-0, 6-2 rout on Wednesday during Group Pete Sampras play — and now leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-1 against the Belgian. Sunday’s final marked the 17^th time singles finalists have met twice in the same year-end championship, and the first time two first-time qualifiers had played for the title.

But, after that round-robin match, Goffin had experienced what he called the best win of his career, upsetting the No. 2 seed and six-time former champion Roger Federer to reach Sunday’s final.

Goffin started quicker as well, leading by a break at 4-3. But when he slapped a forehand long, they were back on serve, and the crowd, including those waving Bulgarian flags, made their favourite known, chanting “Di-mi-trov! Di-mi-trov! Di-mi-trov!”

Let’s Meet Again At The Nitto ATP Finals

The Bulgarian then upped his level even more, not facing a break point in his final two services games and later taking the set.

“I really had to dig deep, especially in that first set, which I thought was the key,” Dimitrov said.

But Goffin returned to his aggressive style at 3-3 in the second set, hitting back-to-back forehand winners to break for the third time in the match. He was dominant on serve in the second as well, dropping only five points, and forcing the final match of the 2017 ATP World Tour season to a final set.

“When the serve is going well, it’s easier to be more aggressive,” Goffin said.

The Belgian had made his week – and his year – by finding a way through third sets. Goffin had beaten Nadal and Federer in London in three sets. For the season, Goffin was 22-5 in decisive sets. But Dimitrov, who had been about .500 in decisive sets this year, pulled through, breaking in an 11-point game when Goffin spilled a backhand wide. He converted his fifth championship point when Goffin netted a backhand volley.

Goffin will take home $1,158,000 in prize money and 800 Emirates ATP Rankings points. The Belgian will finish at a career-high No. 7 in the year-end Emirates ATP Rankings.

“I proved to myself that I’m in the right place, and I deserve to be here in this tournament. Then match after match, I took more confidence until the final,” Goffin said. “So I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, even if I’m disappointed about the final.”

The months of October and November are an important time of year for any tennis player, with a mad dash to secure year-end spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The quest to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals kicks into high gear for those on the ATP World Tour, while players on the ATP Challenger Tour jockey for position in the Top 100 and beyond.

But the final two months are significant for another reason on the Challenger circuit. It marks a vital stretch for tournaments in South America. The ATP Challenger Tour’s version of the ‘Golden Swing’ features clay-court events throughout the continent, weaving through Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Chile and next week’s finale in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sports are an integral element of Latin American culture and the annual swing is a celebration of tennis in the region. Nicolas Kicker gave the home fans plenty to cheer about in Buenos Aires, while a dominant Gerald Melzer went back-to-back in Lima and Guayaquil, and it was nonstop party in Montevideo as native son Pablo Cuevas lifted his third trophy at the Uruguay Open.

“It’s incredible to have a tournament of this magnitude in Uruguay,” Cuevas said during last week’s event in his home capital. “Challengers are important and this one gets better every year. It’s important to bring tennis to this country and it’s the only time of year we can have a professional tournament like this. It’s a special week.”

With on-site entertainment and dining and a vibrant social scene, tournaments in South America are notorious for providing fans with a world-class experience. Montevideo and Santiago are no exceptions.

This week, the focus turned to Chile, where the Movistar Open by Cachantun is in its third edition. Since the ATP World Tour event in Vina del Mar ended in 2014, the Challenger stop in Santiago has been the crown jewel of Chilean tennis. It has been a celebration all week, with legends Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu visiting the $50,000 event.

“Having a full stadium shows that the people here like tennis, and its nice for the Chilean players to be able to play close to family and friends,” said former World No. 9 Massu. “For Nicolas Jarry, to have the chance to get into the Top 100 at the tournament is also amazing.”

?? legends @elfergonzalez and @massunico join players at the official tournament bbq in Santiago on Wednesday.

?: Jim Rydell, Movistar Open by Cachantun pic.twitter.com/MMohTrajUE

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 16, 2017

Held at the Club de Polo San Cristobal, the clay-court event is one of the premier Challengers on South American soil. Located on the southern edge of the Andes Mountains, the event’s hospitality is just as impressive as the stunning peaks that blanket the region. It provides players and fans with a jaw-dropping setting for a tournament. Founded in 1947, the historic club is now home to 20 tennis courts.

October/November South American Swing

The week in Santiago culminated with Jarry claiming his third ATP Challenger Tour title of the year and first on home soil. He will break into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday. It was an extra special victory for the 22-year-old, who was born and raised in Santiago. His cousin Catalina Fillol, daughter of former World No. 14 Jaime Fillol Sr., is the tournament director.

“Chile has a history of great tennis, finals in Davis Cup, former Top 10 players, a World No. 1 in Marcelo Rios and Olympic medals,” Catalina said. “Now we see a new generation that is giving the Chileans hope. Nicolas Jarry, Cristian Garin and Gonzalo Lama have improved immensely this year and we hope to see them soon in the Top 100.

“As a tournament, we contribute to the development of tennis in Chile by giving the players opportunity to play at home and by allowing the fans to see their talent in person. The Movistar Open by Cachantun strives to maintain the history and culture of the sport. We are proud to organise such a high level event and we hope to continue growing.”

All dreams must come to an end. 

For Jack Sock, the Nitto ATP Finals fairy tale concluded on Saturday in London. As he has done throughout the past few weeks, Sock refused to fall without a fight, battling to last ball against Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian prevailed 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, but the gritty semi-final encounter would be decided by the slimmest of margins.

The tennis world won’t soon forget the American’s magical run to punch his ticket to the season finale and glittering performances under the bright lights of The O2. And neither will he. Despite succumbing to Dimitrov, Sock admits there are only positives from his experience.

“I can’t complain,” Sock told the assembled media following Saturday’s match. “I shouldn’t have been here in the first place. To be here, my first appearance, and make the semis getting through a pretty tough group, I beat some good players. Obviously both groups are very tough. But for my first time, to play the three guys that were in our group and to get through, was a big confidence booster for me.”

After suffering a tight loss to Roger Federer to open his round-robin campaign, Sock would claim a pair of three-set victories over World No. 5 Marin Cilic and World No. 3 Alexander Zverev to book his place in the last four. Entering the week, he was 1-8 against Top 5 opposition in his career, making the feat even more remarkable.

But Sock’s string of impressive wins extends beyond the confines of The O2. His improbable run to lift his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in Paris set the stage, providing the 25-year-old with plenty of confidence to build on.

“It’s more about reassurance. I’ve always believed I can play at this level, play there consistently. Now to do it over a couple weeks, I would say it is more reassurance going into next year than learning things.

“There’s always things you can improve on, get better on the court, things you can take away from matches, especially tonight, all the matches I’ve played the last three weeks. Probably more the reassurance to know I’m at this level and can stay there.

“I’m definitely going to take the experience from the last three weeks, everything I learned, all the things I did well in the matches, things I can improve on and work on in the off-season, and get ready for 2018.”

But Sock only has one eye on 2018 at this point. After enjoying an extended campaign, it’s time for a well-deserved break. Hey John Isner, still up for a round at Augusta?

“I really don’t want to talk about 2018. I want to go play golf.”

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When David Goffin arrived in a cold, overcast London less than a fortnight ago, he had never beaten Rafael Nadal, nor Roger Federer. He had never previously qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals outright – just a sole appearance as an alternate for the injured Gael Monfils last year, a match in which he salvaged just three games from Novak Djokovic.

Grigor Dimitrov had never qualified for the season finale before. He was more familiar with London in the summer, when intermittent rain made way for blazing bursts of sun on Centre Court at Wimbledon or at Queen’s Club for the Aegon Championships. 

Now under the roof of The O2, it is down to the final match of the season in the British capital and these two men stand on the cusp of the biggest title so far of their careers. They have crossed paths once already in this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, in the round-robin stage, where Dimitrov inflicted a brutal 6-0, 6-2 defeat.

He admitted everything he touched turned to gold in that clash. But that result alone doesn’t tell the full story of their respective journeys to reach Sunday’s final.

Goffin’s group-stage results were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Following the elation of becoming the first Belgian man to beat a World No. 1 with his upset of Rafael Nadal in his opening match, he fell swiftly to Dimitrov before rebounding in style to see off No. 4 seed Dominic Thiem in straight sets.

It pitted him in a semi-final with his idol, Roger Federer, a player to which he had lost all six FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes. For an opponent Federer admitted “crushed me too many times in practice not to do it also once in a match situation”, Goffin upped his aggression to pull off the improbable upset.

It made him just the sixth man to beat Federer and Nadal in the same event and the first since Djokovic to do so at the 2015 Nitto ATP Finals. 

“Both are really special. It was the first time against Rafa. Then the semi-final for the first time for me here, and to beat Roger for the first time here in such a big event, big tournament, it was the perfect moment,” Goffin said. “Yeah, it is the best win of my career, for sure.”

View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup for the championship match to be played Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals and vote for who you think will win!
Dimitrov vs. Goffin

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Dimitrov enters Sunday’s title decider unbeaten having narrowly edged Dominic Thiem before thrashing Goffin and Pablo Carreno Busta for the loss of just two games in each match. He rebounded emphatically after dropping the opening set against Jack Sock to drop just three games in the final two sets, but not before a momentary bout of nerves crept in when he attempted to serve it out. He will finish the year, regardless of Sunday’s result as the new World No. 3.

“The goal was to finish the year top 10. Now I finished 3,” Dimitrov said. “It’s wonderful, a wonderful reward. This is what I’ve been working for… I think it’s not only good for me, I think for the whole team. I think that gives us a very good platform to start in the off-season, yeah, have a good start of next year.”

Dimitrov leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Goffin 4-1, including the round-robin clash at this year’s season finale. The Bulgarian took the honours in the pair’s Australian Open quarter-final meeting and on home soil in the Sofia final, however Goffin landed revenge in the quarter-finals of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament indoors in Rotterdam.

“Obviously he’s done well this week. I mean, beating Rafa, Roger, those are big wins,” Dimitrov said. “I think his confidence is going to be up there. But I’m not going to focus in on his confidence or his game right now. I’m just focusing on myself, the recovery that I’m going to do today. Of course, it’s not going to be the same after I played against him… I think also it is a different stage for both of us.”

Dimitrov said he wished he could “just press replay” after his emphatic triumph over the Belgian in the group stage. Goffin, though, will be sure to press reset. The stage may be the same but on Sunday they play for so much more.

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