Dimitrov Donates Ventilators To Hometown Hospital

Grigor Dimitrov is committed to making a difference during his time off from competing. The Bulgarian donated ventilators to the hospital in his hometown of Haskovo in a bid to help those affected by COVID-19 in his country.

“I come from a really small town and never forgot where I came from. I just want to help, simple as that,” Dimitrov said to ATPTour.com. “I’ve been playing for Bulgaria all my life. I still have a Bulgarian passport. I really appreciate the people and all the support throughout the years. It’s not only a way of giving something back to the country, but deeply moves me and makes me feel alive.”

Dimitrov is currently in California, but remains in touch with family back home and has kept up on the news about how the coronavirus is impacting Bulgaria. He believes it’s more important than ever for the world to unite in looking at ways to be of service.

“I’ve always been very aware of what’s happening in my country. We often forget who the real heroes are in situations like this: all the doctors, the people working in gas stations or grocery stores, the cleaning staff at the hospitals,” Dimitrov said. “You have to appreciate that and I don’t think we’ve always done the best at it, even in good times.”

Dimitrov is also looking at other ways to continue his philanthropy in the future. He admitted to having “notepads lying around everywhere” filled with ideas and hopes to bring some of them to life.

“Hopefully, I can have the right opportunities, right partners and the right structure to do the things I’ve always wanted to do, whether it’s in the medical field or education or something like that,” Dimitrov said. “I just know there are bigger things and I’d really like to not only be heavily involved, but give a part of myself for it.”

There are 449 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Bulgaria as of 2 April.