Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov has lifted the men's singles trophy of 2017 Nitto ATP Finals after defeating Belgian ace David Goffin in a glamorous showdown in London on 19 November, Sunday.
Tennis fans from all around the world have witnessed the battle between two world-class players at O2 Arena. While the 26-year-old Dimitrov took the opening set after a tie-break by 7-5, Goffin fought back and managed to defeat his opponent in the second set by 6-4.
However, in the last set, Dimitrov turned the spotlight towards him when he defeated the 26-year-old Goffin by 6-3.
Both players were seeded to Pete Sampras group after the draw. The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals winner Dimitrov had defeated Austrian ace, Dominic Thiem, Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta, 2017 Paris Masters winner Jack Shock, including finalist Goffin earlier in this tournament.
On the other hand, Goffin won some tough battles against top-ranked players like world No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Swiss great Roger Federer and the 24-year-old Thiem.
The win made Dimitrov the first debutant to win the Nitto ATP Finals title since Spaniard Alex Corretja in 1998 when he defeated Rafael Nada's coach Carlos Moyá.
As Dimitrov won all the battles in this tournament including the final, he has received Emirates ATP Rankings points 1500, including the prize money of $2,549,000 and became the world No. 3.
"This makes me even more locked in, more excited about my work, and for what's to come. It's a great platform for me to build on for next year. It's going to be amazing in the off-season. I know what I have to do in order to do good," Dimitrov told ATP.
On the other hand, Goffin achieved the world No. 7 position. He has received 800 points and $1,158,000 prize money after the final battle against Dimitrov on Sunday.
In a post-match interview, Goffin said that he will be featured in the upcoming Davis Cup tournament but before that he needs some rest.
"I proved to myself that I'm in the right place, and I deserve to be here in this tournament. Then match after match, I took more confidence until the final," he said.
"So I'm proud of what I've achieved, even if I'm disappointed about the final," Goffin concluded.
The German legend and former world No. 1 Boris Becker, who won the year-end tournament in 1988, 1992 and1995, brought the winners' trophy to the court. ATP Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode, the event director of Nitto ATP Adam Hogg and the chief operating officer of AEG Europe Alex Hill were also present during the prize giving ceremony.
