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LONDON -- Imagine capping your best tournament victory by leaping over the barriers and dedicating the award to your popstar girlfriend. If anything confirmed Grigor Dimitrov has achieved superstar status, that was it. "I would like to thank my girlfriend, Nicole [Scherzinger]," Dimitrov said in his oncourt interview after winning the ATP Tour Finals by defeating David Goffin in a thrilling final on Sunday. Bulgarian flags have covered the stands for every match the 26-year-old has played, and fans have swarmed the popular player for autographs after games. There are approximately 70,000 Bulgarians currently living in London, and it sounded like most of them were out to show support for their compatriot in Sunday's final; the cheers of, "Grigor, Grigor" echoed around the arena throughout.
Money, money, moneyAs well as claiming the ATP World Tour trophy, Dimitrov will receive 500 additional ranking points. This means he will jump above Alexander Zverev into year-end No. 3, behind only Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and although Goffin lost out in Sunday's final, he will still move to a career-high No. 7. While we're these sure these accolades are extremely rewarding, let us not forget the matter of prize money -- with the winner taking home a cheque worth more than double that of the runner-up. By winning the title (and all of his group stage matches), Dimitrov earns himself a whopping $2,549,000, while Goffin will take home a still sizeable $1,158,000.
Gilbert: Dimitrov can start targeting Grand Slams
On to the next one ...While few could have predicted the singles finalists at the O2 this week, things were a little more conventional in doubles. It was the first time the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have made it to the final since 2008. Henri Kontinen and John Peers retained their ATP Finals title by defeating Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-2, thus becoming the first team to win back-to-back season-finale titles since Bob and Mike Bryan in 2003 and 2004. They had finished the final only moments before, but Kontinen and Peers were already planning their title defence in 2018. When asked if they would be back next year, Kontinen answered: "Definitely, yes."
From one superstar to another ...Often seen frequenting the Wimbledon Royal Box, David Beckham positioned himself in front-row seats to watch Sunday's singles final, accompanied by son Romeo. For the fans seated nearby, this revelation was almost as exciting as the tennis ... Actor Patrick Stewart and comedian Jimmy Carr were also seen enjoying the evening's tennis action.
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