I am a big critic of the Bulgarian though I did like what I saw late 2016 – early 2017 (note I am not talking about mid to late 2017 which included his first Masters and his WTF crown). His play in late ’16 and early ’17 was a steady sign that he could still do great things after all of that promise in 2013-14). The 2017 AO SF loss to Nadal was tough; a win there would have been huge.

He crumbled after Melbourne 2017 though the Cincy win and the London win in November are hard to ignore.

But Anderson just embarrassed him today. As I said in my quick preview, think of how these players’ careers have arched. Granted, Dimitrov won Cincy last year, but that draw was depleted. A Masters is a Masters, but the tour was pretty beat-up by that point.

And the WTF crown, again, impressive, but the field went belly-up. Nadal recused himself and Federer fell asleep.

But today was brutal. Did he pay Anderson for the lesson, or did Vallverdu compensate for the child care? 2 and 2? It wasn’t even that close. What a waste of talent.

You should note how this bothers me. You know my recent narrative on Grigor: Captain of the Lost Boy Titanic. But I want him play some meaningful tennis. I am not trying to punk him; I’m speaking for all tennis fans, shadowing our grave disappointment.

Carry-on.