Grigor Dimitrov defeated Jakub Mensik, 7-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, in the second round of Wimbledon.
The Bulgarian continued to prove why he was deserving of a Wimbledon main draw wild card, beating the 15th seed in four sets.
Dimitrov can now look forward to a third-round tie against the former finalist, Matteo Berrettini.
Who is your pick for the Wimbledon Men’s Singles title? 🏆
Predict your champion now!
During his post-match press conference, Dimitrov delivered his verdict on his new coach, David Nalbandian, who has given him the boost he needs to perform at Wimbledon.
Grigor Dimitrov says David Nalbandian has ‘ignited’ a few places inside of him
“[He’s a] very specific person in a good way, of course. We talked, I think, a while back. We were trying to get to know each other first and foremost,” said Dimitrov.
“I just didn’t want to have someone to have someone with me.
“I always loved watching him play. I played once against him on grass. That was not so good for me. That was many years ago at Queen’s.
- 2012 Queen’s SF – David Nalbandian defeated Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4, 6-4
“I love how fearless he was when he had to play any match. He’s such an amazing competitor.
“At the stage where I was last year, coming from an injury, I know I definitely needed that push.
“He’s been able to ignite a few places in me, in my mind, that I think were a little dusted, so to speak.
“He’s been able to push me in the right direction with a very, I would say, authoritative but very humble way.
“The way he delivers the information, it kind of sparks some things in you.”
Dimitrov suffered a heartbreaking injury at Wimbledon 12 months ago.
While leading the eventual champion, Jannik Sinner, by two sets to love on Centre Court, he suffered a pectoral injury that forced him to retire from the match.
He then missed several months of action, tumbling down the rankings in the process.
The results didn’t improve immediately when he added Nalbandian to his team in February, but since the grass-court season began, Dimitrov has started to find his form.
Grigor Dimitrov’s 2026 record
| Tournament | Tier | Surface | Result | Match wins | Defeat |
| Brisbane International | ATP 250 | Hard | 2R | 1 (Pablo Carreno Busta) | Raphael Collignon |
| Australian Open | Grand Slam | Hard | 1R | 0 | Tomas Machac |
| Dallas Open | ATP 500 | Hard | 1R | 0 | Alex Michelsen |
| Mexican Open (David Nalbandian joins coaching staff) | ATP 500 | Hard | 1R | 0 | Terence Atmane |
| Indian Wells | Masters 1000 | Hard | 1R | 1 (Terence Atmane) | Carlos Alcaraz |
| Miami Open | Masters 1000 | Hard | 1R | 0 | Raphael Collignon |
| Monte Carlo Masters | Masters 1000 | Clay | 1R | 0 | Tomas Martin Etcheverry |
| Madrid Open | Masters 1000 | Clay | 1R | 0 | Adolfo Daniel Vallejo |
| Challenger Aix-en-Provence | Challenger 175 | Clay | 1R | 0 | Pol Martin Tiffon |
| Challenger Bordeaux | Challenger 175 | Clay | 1R | 0 | Martin Damm Jr. |
| French Open | Grand Slam | Clay | Q1 | 0 | Jaime Faria |
| Challenger Dublin | Challenger 75 | Grass | QF | 2 (Chris Rodesch, Conor Gannon) | Kyrian Jacquet |
| Mallorca Championships | ATP 250 | Grass | QF | 2 (Marc Polmans, Abedallah Shelbayh) | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina |
| Wimbledon | Grand Slam | Grass | 3R* | 2 (Dane Sweeny, Jakub Mensik) | – |
Dimitrov continued, explaining how Nalbandian is helping him improve.
“On the game itself, we work on very, very few specific things because, I mean, my game is fairly developed already,” said Dimitrov.
“There are no real secrets in certain moments with things that I will do, players expect me to do.
“I just know that I cannot only play good tennis, but execute a very different game in a different moment where no one else can see it at times, in order for me to try to get back to the top again, because that’s my goal.
“Having to play guys like today, there’s no way I can just sit on the baseline and rally with them. That’s just not going to happen.
“I need to work on that other part of my mindset, my game, and develop all that together with my physicality.”
Dimitrov still has ambitions of fighting at the top of men’s tennis and is certainly heading in the right direction.
After losing 11 of his first 13 matches this season, the Bulgarian has won six of his last eight.
If Nalbandian keeps working his magic, it might not be long before we see Dimitrov return to the top 100.
He’d do his chances a world of good with a win in his third-round match at Wimbledon.
What happened the last time Grigor Dimitrov played Matteo Berrettini?
Dimitrov and Berrettini last played a match seven years ago, at the Vienna Open.
It was the Italian who emerged victorious on indoor hard courts, 7-6, 7-6, securing his spot in the quarter-finals.
However, it’s important to note that Dimitrov had beaten Berrettini earlier in the year, at the Monte Carlo Masters, 7-5, 6-4.
With their head-to-head level at 1-1, who knows who will pick up the win when they meet for the first time on grass?
Berrettini and Dimitrov will play their third-round match on Saturday, July 4.
