“It’s been a rough road for me but I’m pleased to be back on the court.”

Grigor Dimitrov was victorious against Feliciano Lopez (6:1, 6:3) in the first round of Miami Open on Saturday. Bulgaria’s first racket has been suffering from a shoulder injury following his exit from Australian Open in January.

Dimitrov showed no sign of rustiness and was strong from the off. The Spaniard was limited to winning just one game in the first set. It was more of the same in the second set as the Bulgarian’s serve was exceptional. He managed to win an impressive 85% of his first serve points.

Dimitrov stayed grounded when asked about his ambitions for the rest of the tournament: “I didn’t even think I was going to play here, so I got a chance to play and wanted to make the most of it. The most important thing now is to keep playing and stay healthy, how everything else will unfold after, I don’t know.”

After missing the ATP Tour in Acapulco and Rotterdam, Dimitrov is currently ranked 29th in the ATP rankings. The Bulgarian will be looking to make a comeback and improve a  career-high 3rd spot following his win at London’s ATP Finals in 2017.

The next test for Dimitrov in the round of 32 of the Miami Open is Jordan Thompson. The Australian, who recently broke in the top 100, won against Karen Khachanov (6:2, 6:3) in the last round.