In the final of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin face each other. For both counterparts, it could be the first title in the O2 arena in London.
It’s the last game of the season – and it’s going to be a special one. In the final of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals, two debutants of the World Tennis Championship will face each other (from 7 p. m. in our live ticker). On one side there is the Belgian David Goffin, on the other side the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. Both of them have never opened up in London before and played their way into the semi-finals with outstanding performances through the group stage – for both of them it should be special experiences.
Goffin in particular experienced a milestone in his career when he kicked world number two Roger Federer out of the tournament and celebrated his first ever victory over Switzerland,”It’s unbelievable, I can’t describe what I’m feeling right now,”said a visibly moved Goffin after the match ball for a 2-6,6-3 and 6-4 triumph. The 26-year-old defended his lead in the decisive group game against Dominic Thiem, catapulting his game to a new level against Federer. The backhand longline will be decisive for the first Belgian participant in the finals. The parade of this quiet contemporary has already broken through many of his opponents’ plans and set painful needle marks.
Needles that Dimitrov must prevent in order to preserve the chance of the crown in London. The Bulgarian of the same age presented himself in impressive form in the group stage, won all three matches and was the fittest player of the eight participants. With breathtaking greed and willingness to win, he swept Goffin out of the court with 6:0 and 6:2 in his second group game. Now Dimitrov will do everything in his power to force the same outcome of the match. Against semi-final opponent Jack Sock, the Cincinnati winner’s concentration faded for one set before finding his way to old strength and light-footedness. A bagel in set two and a fiercely contested third set gave the right-hander the 4:6,6:0 and 6:4 final draw. Dimitrov will rely on his physical presence and athletics to overcome the defensive skills of his opponent.
In the first encounter in the O2 arena a few days ago, the man from Haskovo overrun Goffin and beat one winner after another. In the final, however, the cards will be reshuffled and Goffin’s coup against the “Maestro” will make him float on a wave of euphoria and be another opponent. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both counterparties is difficult, the unfamiliar situation will have an impact. Dimitrov clearly scores points with his crackling forehand and athelism, with which he runs almost every ball and forces his opponent to make mistakes. The 26-year-old’s serve seems to occasionally reveal small weaknesses; Dimitrov repeatedly throws in double faults. The biggest plus for Dimitrov, however, is his current mental state:”It was about fighting with my demons to get more consistent again,” he explained at Sport360. He seems to have defeated them and the problems of ending a match seem to have blown away in Bulgarians.
Goffin, on the other hand, distinguishes his constancy and defensive work. If the Belgian feels the ball, he makes hardly any mistakes and puts his playing intelligence into the limelight. Through the intelligent way of playing, he makes up for his deficiency in serve and forces his opponent to run long distances. The 26-year-old’s backhand is in a class of its own and often helps him out of tricky phases.
The world ranking position of the two opponents does not give a clear favourite either. Dimitrov is ranked sixth in the ranking, two places ahead of his opponent. The fact that Alexander Zverev’s position in the table is not very meaningful is shown by his retirement as the world’s third or Federer (ATP number two).
The beauty for tennis fans around the globe will be that there will be a completely open finale and both players will go to their limits. One thing is clear: there will be a new winner of the ATP finals. Who that will be? forecast excluded.