Dimitrov had been sneaking off for an hour or so each day to a local arcade in Brisbane, which he said contributed to his first title since 2014.

"It's brutal sometimes and you need to feel normal. I'm not the kind of guy that can just lock myself in a room for 24 hours and just think tennis. That hasn't helped me," Dimitrov said.

"Since I've been here, I've been going to the arcade for an hour and a half. Something so childish but by the time I was going to bed it felt so good.

"It's all just felt good. I can't remember the last time I felt so good going onto the court."

But the Bulgarian would not be alone in turning to video games as a weapon to succeed. Here are four other elite athletes who are avid gamers.

Andrea Pirlo

​Pirlo, the Italian football maestro who lifted the world cup in 2006, is a huge FIFA aficionado. In fact, he cares so deeply for his Playstation that he said in his 2013 autobiography: "after the wheel, the best invention is the PlayStation".

Pirlo's nemesis in FIFA was his close friend and Milan teammate Alessandro Nesta, who seemed to win the battles more often.

"Me against Nesta was a clasico of our time at Milanello," Pirlo writes in his autobiography. "We'd get in early, have breakfast at nine then close ourselves off in our room to challenge each other, train, have lunch and then it was back in our room again until four in the afternoon.

"Our battles were pure adrenaline. I chose Barcelona, Sandrino did too. Barca against Barca. The first player I'd take was Samuel Eto'o, the fastest out of everyone, though I often lost. I'd become furious, I'd throw the joystick, demand a rematch and lose again ..."

FIFA addict: Andrea Pirlo Photo: Daniele Badolato

Lewis Hamilton

Formula One superstar Lewis Hamilton is a self-described gaming addict. He has been featured in the latest version of Call of Duty.

Hamilton grew up playing Super Mario and still plays a host of video games.

Call of Duty cameo: Lewis Hamilton Photo: Getty Images

Cam Newton

His team may have bombed out in the NFL this year, but Cam Newton probably had far more joy in Madden.

And while he can't use it to replace training exercises, Newton does play the game for more than just fun; he studies different plays in the game and takes these to the weekend for the Carolina Panthers.

"It's really a watered-down version," Newton said in an interview with Bleacher Report in 2014. I can't play the video game all week and expect to be prepared for a real team on Sunday. I'd be at a disadvantage ... [but] I know what to do to attack certain coverages."

Madden for tactics: Cam Newton Photo: PHELAN EBENHACK

Demetrious Johnson

The inaugural, and current, flyweight champion in the UFC also has found success playing video games as a pastime.

Johnson plays Tekken and Street Fighter "for the angles and combinations" but plays fantasy games to help him relax in his off-time. Similar to Dimitrov, he finds that it helps him for his fights as he is in a better state of mind.

Johnson also plays fantasy games such as The Legend of Zelda and Onimusha.

Video games to relax: Demetrious Johnson Photo: John Locher