Grigor Dimitrov claims ATP Finals in marathon match and immediately eyes grand slam as his next target

Grigor Dimitrov’s talent took him to the brink of his biggest career win – but he needed more than that to get over the line.

“I felt I had a good mental toughness throughout the whole year,” Dimitrov said. “So when my body’s allowing me to do this kind of preparation, I feel I already have an advantage over any other player. And right now those are the moments that I rise up to.”

It wasn’t the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal match-up many fans had hoped for, but they were left satisfied as the two 26-year-olds delivered the longest final since the tournament returned to a three-set format in 2008.

Dimitrov won in two hours, 30 minutes and 15 seconds, adding 11 minutes to the mark set by Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2011.

That wasn’t the only record Dimitrov set. After winning all five of his matches at the O2 Arena, he became the first player to win the elite tournament on debut since 1998, when Alex Corretja of Spain triumphed in Hanover.

“I was a little bit tired,” said Dimitrov, who beat Goffin for the loss of just two games when they met on Wednesday. “I had to play a few matches obviously back-to-back against solid opponents. I knew that David is going to try something new. He had to be aggressive in order so he doesn’t let me play my game.”

Goffin’s adjustments paid off early as he broke Dimitrov’s first two service games either side of losing his own, before settling down to control the opener.