Dimitrov to step away from tennis after French Open exit

A disappointing clay-court season culminated in a third-round exit at the French Open, and Grigor Dimitrov wants to take time to reflect.

Grigor Dimitrov intends to temporarily step away from tennis after being eliminated from the third round of the French Open on Friday.

Fourth seed Dimitrov was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-4 by Fernando Verdasco on Court 1 at Roland Garros, two days after being pushed to five sets by world number 57 Jared Donaldson.

The Bulgarian reached the semi-finals at the Monte Carlo Masters and the last eight in Barcelona, but he suffered first-round exits at the Madrid Open and the Internazionali d'Italia.

Having struggled during the clay swing and with an 18-11 record on all surfaces this year, Dimitrov feels he needs to reflect on a disappointing spell by taking a break from the sport.

"I definitely need to take some time off now to kind of reassess the whole clay-court season, to be honest," said Dimitrov.

"I think that's going to be the number one priority for me now, to kind of step out from the tennis for a little bit, try to watch some matches and sort of try to progress somehow and just get better.

"How? I mean, we'll figure [it out]. I don't want to be too negative right now. I know it's hard right after the match.

"I have always been a positive thinker, and I want to keep that on the same level right now. Obviously it's tough when you lose a match, but that's how it goes."