Grigor Dimitrov had some new faces in his coaching box as he made an impressive return to action to defeat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the 2025 Paris Masters.
In his first match since the injury that brutally ended his Wimbledon campaign 112 days earlier, Dimitrov convincingly defeated world No 56 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6(5), 6-1 in the first round of the ATP 1000 in Paris.
The former world No 3 underwent surgery after he was forced to retire due to a pectoral tear when leading Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in the last 16 at Wimbledon.
Grigor Dimitrov’s new-look team at the Paris Masters
- During his injury-enforced absence from tennis, Grigor Dimitrov split with his former coach Jamie Delgado, with whom he had enjoyed a successful partnership
- The 34-year-old Bulgarian has not spoken about any new additions to his team, but both Grant Chen and Yutaka Nakamura were in his coaching box for his first round win in Paris
- Dimitrov’s team shows he still has “serious ambitions in the sport”, according to former British player Colin Fleming
- The world No 38 has revealed his goal for 2026 is to play the full season and stay healthy
Dimitrov announced in September that he had parted ways with Jamie Delgado, who he had worked with since December 2022.
“After a few years and great achievements together, Jamie Delgado and I have decided to part ways amicably,” Dimitrov wrote on his Instagram story.
“I wish him the best in his future endeavours. I’m excited to start fresh after this time I’ve dedicated fully to my recovery.”
During his time with Delgado, who previously coached Andy Murray, Dimitrov reached seven finals, including Masters 1000 finals in Paris and Miami.
The Bulgarian won his first title in over six years at the 2024 Brisbane International and returned to the top 10 in the ATP Rankings in 2024.
It was announced earlier this month that British star Jack Draper had hired Delgado as his coach.
Who is Dimitrov’s fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura?
Yutaka Nakamura, a renowned fitness trainer and strength and conditioning coach, is with Dimitrov in Paris.
The Japanese has an outstanding CV in tennis, having worked with a host of stars, including Maria Sharapova, Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, Jennifer Capriati, Mary Pierce, Tommy Haas, Emma Raducanu, Kei Nishikori and Denis Shapovalov.
Nakamura’s previous role was with Raducanu, who hired him in December 2024. He worked with the Brit in the early part of the 2025 season before stepping down.
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Who is Dimitrov’s coach Grant Chen?
Dimitrov has not made any announcements about his coaching team since splitting with Delgado, but he was also supported by Grant Chen during his opening round win at the 2025 Paris Masters.
Chen is the head coach for the men’s tennis team at Southern Methodist University in Texas.
Colin Fleming, a retired British player who was commentating on the match for Sky Sports, revealed Dimitrov has known Chen “for a long time.”
“First time we’ve seen Dimitrov since Wimbledon and in that period, of course, a change in the team,” Fleming said as cameras focused on Dimitrov’s coaching box.
“Gentleman in the white cap there is Grant Chen, you can see he’s got what looks like a US college hat there, that’s because he is the men’s tennis head coach at SMU. Known Grigor for a long time, has Grant.”
Dimitrov’s new team shows he still has “serious ambitions”
Fleming, who reached a career-high ranking of 17, assessed that Dimitrov’s decision to work with Chen and Nakamura proves he still has big ambitions.
“I think having those sorts of people in his box says to me that Dimitrov still has serious ambitions in the sport,” said the Brit.
“He’s 34 years of age now, he doesn’t look too old to be playing top-level tennis, does he? He’s a serious athlete, plenty of power in his game.”
What Dimitrov said about his rehab from injury and his goals
After his victory against Mpetshi Perricard in Paris, Dimitrov spoke about the challenges of his rehab from his pectoral injury and his goals for his comeback.
What happened during his time away
“Oh, there’s so much, so much that happened. Firstly, I had a great summer, at least, a wonderful time. I was able to do anything I wanted to do and had some rest as I wasn’t playing. But the rehab was not easy, especially after our first month – it was the time where I really had to put a lot of work in.
“Mentally, I felt really great for some reason. I was kind of waiting to just dip a little bit, and the more challenging part was, I would say, two weeks before my return because I was building my own expectations, and you feel good to play, but you don’t know how anything will play out. Then I started feeling a little bit of excitement, but throughout the whole time, it was just very straightforward, and I was practising exactly the amount that I had to.”
Dimitrov’s goals
“I’m just going one day at a time right now. There’s no point for me to set any goals right now. My goal is still next year to come back and make sure that I play the whole season properly and stay healthy. That’s actually my goal right now. So, any given day that I’m out there on the court, whether it’s practice or a match, being able to go through it, that’s a success already.”
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