Grigor Dimitrov: Why I CRIED after beating David Goffin at ATP World Tour Finals

Dimitrov triumphed 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a dramatic final against the Belgian that was significantly closer than their group-stage meeting.

The Bulgarian had emerged a 6-0, 6-2 victor earlier in the week but had to dig much deeper four days later to overcome the plucky Goffin.

And when the 26-year-old netted a simple volley to end the match, Dimitrov collapsed on the baseline and started crying.

“[The tears] just came out,” Dimitrov said.

“Simple as that.

“I don’t know, it’s a special – it’s a special event.

“For me, the way that the year has been I felt I deserved to be here but I didn’t want to imagine that far ahead that, ‘I’m going to be on the final, win the whole thing.’

“It was also just the end of the year, the last match. 

“Knowing I don’t have to go to practice tomorrow will be great feeling when I wake up in the morning, I just can do whatever I want.

“As a tennis player, you don’t have that freedom that much.”

Dimitrov has enjoyed the best year of his career and will end the season as world No 3 when the rankings update tomorrow.

And while he paid tribute to the work of coach Dani Vallverdu and the support of girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, the Australian Open semi-finalist also admitted he himself had stepped up his work-rate in 2017

“If you want to be up at the top, there’s no shortcuts,” Dimtrov added.

“I’m fully dedicated. This year I think I’ve done a lot of work on that.

“I sacrificed days that I should have probably had off, maybe go to a little vacation here and there.

“Now it pays off.”