When the roof of Centre Court closed and the floodlights came on, things were looking bleak for Grigor Dimitrov.
After all, having won the opening two sets with minimal fuss, Matteo Berrettini had roared back with a set of his own.
Adding a disruption like the closure of the roof to his frustration with the decision had many fearing the worst, particularly as the Wimbledon crowd had turned quite dramatically, willing the Italian on to win the fourth set and send the match to a decider.
When he did, the roof nearly came off this great arena.
I sat on Centre Court, and bore witness to this incredible match of tennis from start to finish. My conclusion? Grigor Dimitrov is going to win the Wimbledon title.
Why Grigor Dimitrov can win the Wimbledon title
There are a few reasons why this conclusion has been drawn, not least how the draw has opened up.
After all, with both Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic grouped up on the same half, Dimitrov has found himself on the opposite side of the draw.
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His path to a potential final is far from easy, with projected clashes with Alex de Minaur and one of Taylor Fritz or Alexander Zverev on the horizon.
However, few have the pedigree on this surface that he does, and his next match against British wildcard Arthur Fery represents, on paper, the easiest opponent left in the draw.
There’s also enough to believe that, should he get to the final, Dimitrov would have more than enough to trouble either Sinner or Djokovic.
The Bulgarian had the world number one on the ropes before his untimely injury last year, which saw him forced to retire when two sets to love up.
And whilst his head-to-head against Djokovic is daunting (lost 13, won one), the Serbian is far from the powerhouse he once was. He could struggle against the wily grass-court prowess of Dimitrov, with their last meeting at Wimbledon, in the 2014 semi-finals, being narrowly won by the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
The path for success is there, and he boasts more than enough talent. It will be intriguing to see whether Dimitrov has what it takes to take full advantage of this opportunity and fulfil what many would argue has been his destiny.
Grass is statistically Grigor Dimitrov’s best surface
There is more precedent to believe that Dimitrov can actually win Wimbledon this year, and that is his record on grass.
Statistically, across his entire career, it narrowly remains his best surface. He has won 63.89% of matches on it, narrowly followed by his 63.45% win rate on indoor hard courts.
For comparison, his win rate on outdoor hard and clay is 62.72% and 60.07%.
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Dimitrov has the thunderous serve and fearsome forehand that takes well to the grass, but also the necessary variety, including a vicous slice backhand, to trouble anyone.
It might be an outside shout, and he could well crumble under the pressure of home support in the very next round against Fery; but bet against Dimitrov’s Wimbledon success this year at your own peril.
Sport has a funny way of creating these magical storylines, and to go from last year’s heartbreak to a potential title charge, at 35 years of age, seems like one of those fairytales.
