Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Sofia: Bulgarian world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov faces a race against time to get fit to defend his title at the Sofia Open after shoulder pain and exhaustion prevented him from practising.
"I underwent a medical examination in Monaco yesterday," Dimitrov told a news conference in Sofia ahead of the February 5-12 tournament.
"I didn’t feel well, I felt pain in my shoulder.
"I’m expecting the results in the coming days and I hope that I’ll be able to fight again but I don’t want to make promises. I never want to play in a tournament if I’m not 100 percent fit."
Dimitrov, who suffered a shock defeat by unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this week, said that fatigue was also a factor in his failure to reach the Melbourne Park semifinals.
"I played some tough matches in Australia and I got tired," the 26-year-old, who won the biggest title of his career at last year's season-ending ATP Finals in London, said.
"I had only one week rest after the end of last season... (and) ... you just can't go against your body."
