'I'm not even surprised' Dimitrov explains his perception of Roger Federer ahead of possible matchup

Grigor Dimitrov has hailed Roger Federer as one of the greatest players to ever take the court and the fact that he is breaking records at 36-years-old proves that he is in a league of his own. The 26-year will join the Swiss ace at the 2018 Rotterdam Open and may potentially meet Federer in the finals after as he has been put on the other side of the draw to the Swiss master.

Federer needs to reach the semis in Holland to become the oldest world No 1 in tennis history, beating Andre Agassi to the crown. In his quest to win the title, Dimitrov will have to contend with, among others, three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, who is recovering from a knee problem and will compete at Rotterdam.

Dimitrov had a great 2017 campaign, winning the ATP World Tour finals, beating David Goffin for the title. The win led him to a career-high third in the ATP rankings but lost that honour to Australian Open finalist Marin Cilic, after the Bulgarian lost to Kyle Edmund in the quarter-finals.

He is currently recovering from a shoulder injury but has recovered well to make it to the Rotterdam Open, where he hopes to make a splash. However, he is not at all surprised by Federer's achievements, stating that the form he is in, if he breaks any more records, it would be something that would be expected of him, given the expectations around him.

"He's done so much for the game already and achieved so much already," Dimitrov told ATP World Tour's official website, as quoted by the Express. "To me, if it happens it's just another thing he has done. I'm not even surprised anymore from his ability to show up at a tournament after not playing for so long, even though he has now.

"Just showing up at a tournament and winning, if he becomes No 1 again... basically he's just trying to break his own records. That's the best thing, he's in a league of his own and that's the reason he is where he is right now."