Grigor Dimitrov vs Francesco Passaro Live Stream & Tips - Trust the veteran Dimitrov in Rome despite the wear and tear

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Last updated: 09 May 2025

Freetips staff 09 May 2025

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Grigor Dimitrov faces fitness challenges but has a strong record at Masters.
Francesco Passaro, ranked 101, returns from injury with less match practice.
Dimitrov's experience might give him the edge despite fitness concerns.

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Grigor Dimitrov is out for revenge against Francesco Passaro (credit: Getty)

Grigor Dimitrov vs Francesco Passaro Overview

Francesco Passaro was a bit lucky with Grigor Dimitrov’s fitness to snag a big win at the Australian Open earlier this year, and a similar situation can’t be completely ruled out, given Dimitrov still isn’t looking fully solid physically and could be exposed if things get physical.

That said, Passaro’s no picture of health either. He’s been battling his own fitness issues in recent months and came into this tournament short on match practice, which makes it tough to back him to get the job done here. All things considered, the smart play would be to side with Dimitrov in this one.

Grigor Dimitrov vs Francesco Passaro Overview
Head-to-Head
Grigor Dimitrov Overview
Grigor Dimitrov Form
Francesco Passaro Overview
Francesco Passaro Form

Head-to-Head

Year	Event	Surface	Round	Winner	Score
2025	Australian Open	Hard	R1	Passaro	7-5 2-1, retired

Grigor Dimitrov Overview

Current rank: 15
Career high rank: 3
ELO rank: 10
Season record: 14-8
Clay-court record in 2025: 5-2
Opening round Masters record in 2025: 4-0
Rome Masters best result: Semifinal in 2014

Grigor Dimitrov Form

Grigor Dimitrov has copped a fair few setbacks on the fitness front this year, and it looks like he's hit another rough patch recently.

He was clearly struggling physically during his three-set loss to the underdog Gabriel Diallo in the round of 16 in Madrid just a few days ago. Whether that issue lingers and affects him over the coming days is still up in the air.

The Bulgarian had to retire from three matches earlier in the year, and at the start of the clay season in Monte Carlo, he was completely spent, suffering a brutal and embarrassing 0-6 0-6 loss to Alex de Minaur.

Despite all the drama with his body, Dimitrov's done a top job staying inside the top 20, mostly thanks to his strong showings at Masters level.

He’s reached the round of 16 at all four Masters events so far this season, with his best run coming in Miami, where he made the semifinals while defending runner-up points.

Dimitrov first played the Rome Masters back in 2013 and hasn’t missed a single edition since. He’s had a bit of success there too, making the semifinals in 2014 and the quarterfinals in 2020.

Francesco Passaro Overview

Current rank: 101
Career high rank: 89
ELO rank: 120
Season record: 10-5
Clay-court record in 2025: 5-2
Rome Masters best result: Round 3 in 2024
Career record against top-20 players: 1-0

Francesco Passaro Form

Francesco Passaro was sidelined for nearly two months with injury, which meant he couldn’t get any prep in for his home Masters event in Rome.

Luckily for him, it didn’t seem to hold him back too much, as he managed to grab an important first-round win over Chun Hsin Tseng.

Before this week, the Italian wildcard had only one main-draw win at tour level this year, and that came against Grigor Dimitrov, who retired during their match at the Australian Open. That still stands as the biggest win of Passaro’s career so far.

He’ll need to pull off something similar if he wants to defend all the ranking points he picked up here in 2024, when he came through qualifying and scored impressive wins over Arthur Rinderknech and Tallon Griekspoor to reach the third round.

That run to the third round in Rome last year also happens to be the only time Passaro has ever notched back-to-back main-draw wins at tour level. His current career record in second-round matches stands at 1–4.

Verdict

Grigor Dimitrov v Francesco Passaro

Both players are carrying fitness concerns, but Dimitrov’s class and experience still give him the edge. Passaro’s lack of match practice makes it hard to trust him here. Backing Dimitrov looks the safer call.

Dimitrov and Over 19.5

Result + Total

@7/8 - 1 Unit

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Dimitrov 2-0

Correct Score

@7/9 - 1 Unit

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