Coach: Grigor Dimitrov Has To Shed The Federer Comparisons, The Nicknames And The Bad Sneakers

In new profile piece in the Sydney Morning Herald from Linda Pearce, budding star Grigor Dimitrov talks about his relationship with new coach Roger Rasheed and all the rules the Australian has outlined.

Rasheed, who’s worked with Lleyton Hewitt and Gael Monfils among others, it trying to instill a new attitude into the talented Bulgarian known for his Federer-eqse hot shots, Grand Slam girlfriend and questionable attire.

“One of the first things Roger said to me was ‘no more shenanigans’,” Dimitrov told Pearce. “He was like, ‘From tomorrow, you’re no longer playing with pink shoes’ and I was OK, OK.”

Added coach Rasheed, “I said to Grigor, ‘Listen mate, first things first, you will never wear pink with me, ever’. So he’s gone, ‘Really? … OK. No worries’.”

Rasheed, former Australian rules footbal player, also went to remind the media to shed the Baby Fed label, something Grigor also is tired of as well. “That’s just overdone, overused,” Rasheed said. “It’s good for the hype, and in the media and all that sort of stuff. I understand all that, that’s all cool, but he wants to be his own person. They do have a lot of similarities, but as much as it’s a good thing to have at the start, eventually you’ve got to move it on.”

Roger, though, said that Grigor’s latest girlfriend, Maria Sharapova, could be a positive influence rather than a distraction for the 22-year-old. “She’s got that great mentality that she wants to get out there and kill,” Rasheed said.

You can read the full story here.