The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, begins on Monday in Melbourne. While the spotlight may be on the return of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, and the rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, other players have the potential to make a splash over the next two weeks.
Under the tutelage of Dani Vallverdu, who once worked with Murray and Tomas Berdych, Dimitrov is playing his best tennis in years. Burdened with the nickname Baby Fed, for his game’s similarities to Federer’s, Dimitrov, 25, has been plagued by inconsistent play and a lack of mental toughness.