Grigor Dimitrov became annoyed with a spectator very early in his Miami Masters semifinal match against Novak Djokovic and it all resulted in the crowd member getting thrown out of the stadium.
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In the third game of the first set, the 14th-seeded Bulgarian seemingly took exception with the behavior of one spectator and decided to address it by turning to the person in question and asking them: "You got an issue." The chair umpire also reacted - and after being explained by the Bulgarian what was the issue - the spectator was ejected from the stands.
Unfortunately for Dimitrov, getting rid of a heckling spectator didn't help him much as Djokovic registered a routine 6-2 6-3 win to progress into the Miami final. During the match, the Bulgarian sprayed 32 unforced errors and losing her serve four times didn't help either.
Dimitrov showed respect for Djokovic after the match and the Serb responded
After the match, the 2017 ATP Finals champion said that the Serb "wears confidence like a stain on his shirt." When told about it, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion appreciated it very much.
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"Very grateful to hear something coming from someone that I really respect as a player, but even more than a player, as a person, someone that I consider a friend, a guy that I really love spending time with off the court, as well," Djokovic said when addressing Dimitrov's comment.
"Bulgaria and Serbia are neighboring countries. We share a lot of I guess tradition and culture, and a lot of things in common. Language is quite similar. Yeah, he's been around the tour for many years. It's a great compliment to receive that from him."
37-year-old Djokovic, who now leads his head-to-head against Dimitrov 13-1, also expressed hope to meet the 33-year-old Bulgarian a couple of more times before they retire.
The Bulgarian now has two semifinal defeats in 2025, having previously also lost the Brisbane semis.
