Grigor Dimitrov has insisted that Bulgarian tennis needs more funding after announcing that he is unlikely to play in the ATP 250 event in Sofia next year.
The 27 year old who won the event in 2017 has announced that he is unlikely to play in Sofia for a second year in a row. Not only did Dimitrov make the announcement but he also insisted that Bulgarian tennis needs more funding and they shouldn’t just rely on him playing in his home country.
Speaking with bTV, the Bulgarian has suggested more ways that his home country should develop local talent, “I do not see why there should be so much pressure on me to play a private tournament,” Dimitrov explained.
“They’ll see me again, why do we have to do a private tournament if we can do more than that? To give a chance not only to ATP players but also for ours, for the Bulgarians, and why not do more Futures and Challengers in Bulgaria? If there is help provided, let’s help in the right way.”
The former Wimbledon semi-finalist has a point that his participation is Sofia shouldn’t be the only way to inspire Bulgarian talent and that there are other ways to supply funding. This includes adding more challenger and future events as the more facilities created the better.
Dimitrov added by saying that he is unlikely to play due to scheduling problems after choosing Rotterdam and Acapulco, “For the moment it does not look very good (the chance to play in Sofia), we decided to play Rotterdam and Acapulco, I know it may be a disappointment, but I do not see why there should be pressure for me to play in a private tournament.”
The world number 19 will start his season in Brisbane where he reached the final last year, losing to Nick Kyrgios.