Dimitrov Beats Berrettini in Five Sets at Wimbledon as Both Players Use High Slice Rates

Grigor Dimitrov defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3 on July 5 to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon. ESPN reported that the two players combined for 128 backhand slices during the Centre Court match. Dimitrov hit 81 of his 114 backhands with slice, or 71 percent.

The men's tournament average for sliced backhands stood at 26 percent. Dimitrov, a 35-year-old wildcard, advanced one year after a pectoral tear ended his 2025 Wimbledon run while leading two sets to love.

He said after the match that the players were living in the moment. He said the shot remains effective on grass even as balls slow and the surface changes daily.

The men's average for forehand slices was 9 percent as of July 6, though Lorenzo Sonego used the shot 31 percent of the time in round three.