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Grigor Dimitrov lost his cool and confronted a fan after his third-round win at the 2024 Shanghai Masters. The incident occurred when the Bulgarian was surrounded by a large crowd on his way out of the stadium.
Dimitrov faced Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the 2024 Shanghai Masters on October 8. The Bulgarian was strong behind his serve throughout the match, winning 95% of points on the first serve and not facing a single breakpoint. He took the one-set advantage via a tiebreaker and broke the 20th-seeded Australian two times early in the second set en route to a 7-6(5), 6-2 win.
After recording his 40th win of the year, Grigor Dimitrov found himself in a bit of controversy as he nearly came to blows with a fan while leaving the stadium. Viral clips on social media show the Bulgarian swarmed by a large crowd outside the stadium, with many fans trying to get a photograph and an autograph from him.
While ATP officials tried to keep the crowd at bay, one eager fan got close to Dimitrov, and the 33-year-old nearly tripped and fell to the ground. Angered by this, he moved aggressively towards the fans before retreating. Dimitrov pointed out the fan in question to the officials before walking away in the opposite direction.
You can watch the entire incident below:
Grigor Dimitrov to face Jakub Mensik in Shanghai Masters 4R
Grigor Dimitrov will face another tough opponent in the fourth round of the 2024 Shanghai Masters in the form of Czech sensation Jakub Mensik. The duo will lock horns on October 9. Mensik has been pushed to three sets in all his contests in Shanghai but managed to get the better of Pedro Martinez, sixth seed Andrey Rublev, and Alexander Shevchenko.
Meanwhile, Dimitrov, the ninth seed, came out on top in a three-set affair against Zizou Bergs in the second round before his straight-sets victory over reigning Canadian Open champion Alexei Popyrin. The Bulgarian veteran reached the semifinals at the Shanghai Masters last year after beating the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Nicolas Jarry.
A good showing at the 2024 Shanghai Masters is crucial for Grigor Dimitrov's chances of qualifying for the year-end championship in Turin. Dimitrov is currently placed 10th in the race to Turin ranking and needs to jump at least two spots to qualify. In his only previous appearance at the ATP Finals in 2017, Dimitrov won the title, beating David Goffin in the final.
