Sharapova’s BF Grigor Dimitrov Rises to the 14th Place, Complete List of Latest ATP World Rankings

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria gives the thumbs up after defeating Michael Llodra of France in their opening round match at the Paris Masters men's singles tennis tournament at the Palais Omnisports of Bercy in Paris, October 29, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Charle — Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria gives the thumbs up after defeating Michael Llodra of France in their opening round match at the Paris Masters men's singles tennis tournament at the Palais Omnisports of Bercy in Paris, October 29, 2013. Reuters/Charles Platiau Reuters

Pete Sampras once said that he will be surprised if Grigor Dimitrov doesn't make it to the top 10 or the top five of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings before the year 2014 has come to an end, and it looks like the Bulgarian athlete is certainly working his way up to the top. Dimitrov has now stepped a notch to reach his career-high singles ATP rank at the 14^th spot.

Dimitrov snagged that 14^th spot from Spain's Tommy Robredo, who now had dropped to the 18^th position, Novinite.com reported. According to the Web site, Dimitrov will have to win three matches in his current tournament, which is the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, if he wants to retain his current ATP rank. He will face Marcel Granollers on April 15 for the first round of the said tournament.

Dimitrov also participated in the 2013 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. He reached the semifinals after beating Xavier Malisse, Janko Tipsarevic and Florian Mayer, all in straight sets. However, Dimitrov lost to top-ranked athlete Rafael Nadal. He had remarkable accomplishment in clay courts after pushing Nadal to three sets. Dimitrov is the only player to win a set against Nadal in the 2013 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters before the Spanish athlete lost to second-ranked Serbian athlete Novak Djokovic in the finals.

Below is the top 20 athletes in the latest ATP rankings:

1. Rafael Nadal - 13,730

2. Novak Djokovic - 11,680

3. Stanislas Wawrinka - 5,760

4. Roger Federer - 5,355

5. Tomas Berdych - 4,720

6. David Ferrer - 4,640

7. Juan Martin del Potro - 4,260

8. Andy Murray - 4,040

9. Richard Gasquet - 2,635

10. Milos Raonic - 2,580

11. John Isner - 2,555

12. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 2,550

13. Fabio Fognini - 2,400

14. Grigor Dimitrov - 2,130

15. Mikhail Youzhny - 2,090

16. Tommy Haas - 2,075

17. Kei Nishikori - 1,985

18. Tommy Robredo - 1,890

19. Kevin Anderson - 1,835

20. Nicolas Almagro - 1,750

For the complete list, click here.

Aside from Dimitrov, the athletes who have climbed positions in the latest ATP rankings are Richard Gasquet, Milos Raonic, Mikhail Youhzny, Tommy Haas, and Kei Nishikori, LiveTennis reported.

Dimitrov is often compared to Roger Federer, thus he is nicknamed "Baby Fed," mainly because both of them have similar ground strokes, particularly their backhand tennis shots.