Just a few years ago, players who were still ranked in the ATP Top 10 are now ranked 54th and 22nd respectively. The main reason for both players' drop in the rankings has been nagging and recurring injuries, but both are now healthy and ready to play at 100%. These players have a long history with each other and interestingly enough, the last time they played against each other was less than a week ago on 5 August in Montreal. In this video you can see the highlights of the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK4zf_YNddQ and below you can find a brief information about each player and a match prediction.
Grigor Dimitrov
The 28-year-old Bulgarian is currently ranked 52nd. Nicknamed "Young Federer" from the start of his career, he failed to live up to the expectations placed on him until the 2017 season, when he reached Rank 3 for the first time in his career. From a young age, Dimitrov stood out as one of the most talented players of his generation, and was particularly appreciated for his unique style of play, which is difficult for anyone to play against.
Dimitrov has a very strong forehand, which is a shot with his main right hand. His one-handed backhand has also earned him comparisons with Federer. The Bulgarian is comfortable playing on all surfaces and is very versatile. He is particularly distinguished by his dedication, combativeness, athleticism and his ability to create and convert chances. He can take shots from almost any position and his high athleticism allows him to make the transition from defence to offence. In this video you can see some of Dimitrov's gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPZ_Ow7Gzo0 .
Unlike other all-around players, Dimitrov also has a very strong first serve, which often reaches 210 km/h to 220 km/h. What's more, the Bulgarian has a great serve at crucial moments of the match and is regarded as one of the best clutch servers. Dimitrov's second serves are usually weaker, but with a twist.
Since 2017, when he reached a career high of 3rd in the ATP rankings, Dimitrov has been plagued by shoulder problems. It was for this reason that the player started to lack stability, losing to potentially much weaker tennis players and dropping to 52nd position. The Bulgarian has won only 4 of his last 10 matches and this season has an overall winning percentage of just 50%, which is unusual for a player of his level, given the results of previous years. In his last match in Montreal, when the Bulgarian faced tomorrow's opponent, Dimitrov seemed to be in good physical condition and it is likely that he will be 100% ready to finally get back on the winning track, as he has the talent and the potential to do so.
Stanislas Wawrinka
The 34-year-old Swiss veteran, often nicknamed "Stan the Man", is one of the most beloved players among tennis fans. Currently ranked 22nd, the Swiss is far from his career best, but with his injuries fully healed, it would not be surprising to see him back in the Top 10.
Stan has one of the strongest backhands on the ATP Tour. He is also characterised as an excellent back line attacker and able to play at a similar level on every surface, especially on the ground and hard. What's more, Wawrinka has a very strong first serve that can reach up to 232 km/h. The forehand, which was considered one of the Swiss' weakest points at the beginning of his career, has improved considerably over the years and is now one of the main weapons in Wawrinka's arsenal. Although known as an all-around style player who usually plays from the back line, Wawrinka excels at taking advantage of opportunities to run to the net after a strong first serve using serve and volley tactics.
Wawrinka was never considered one of the best players in the world until a fateful change of coach in 2013. Under the coaching of former world No.2 Magnus Norman, Wawrinka's game improved in every possible way and for the first time in his career he reached the final of the ATP World Tour, which features the top 8 ranked players. It was only in 2013, after a change of coach, that Wawrinka reached the Top 10, something he had never achieved before. Some excerpts from Wawrinka's game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyplW6HyR9c .
After a very poor season last year, when Stan was relegated to 263rd position, he has made great progress this season to return to the Top 10. Of course, although the injuries that plagued him for so long are now healed, age can still make it difficult to play well in several tournaments in a row, but there is no doubt that Wawrinka can still win one or the other tournament. The Swiss has won his last 6 out of 10 matches, including 2 wins against tomorrow's opponent Dimitrov and Tsitsipas, who is currently ranked as high as #5. Barring a recurrence of injuries, it would not be surprising to see Stan competing for the title in Cincinnati in the later rounds.
Mutual history
These players have met 10 times before. In 6 of them, Wawrinka has been victorious and in 4 of them, Dimitrov has won. On the hard surface, the Swiss has won 3 times and the Bulgarian only 1 time.
Forecast
At the moment, the bookmakers have Wawrinka as the clear favourite, with odds of just 1.36. Wawrinka reached the quarter-finals in Cincinnati last year and is therefore defending more points than Dimitrov, so a win here is crucial for him to maintain or even increase his points from this tournament. Wawrinka has won the last 3 meetings between these two players in a confident manner, without conceding a single set, which also suggests that Dimitrov is quite a favourable opponent for the Swiss these days. It is very likely that we will see another victory for Wawrinka. A -3 games advantage with odds of 1.9 is a very good bet considering the recent form and history of both players.
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