Grigor Dimitrov Clarifies his Statement About Sofia Open

Staged at the Arena Armeec Sofia, the ATP 250 event in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia has been in the calendar since 2016, with Roberto Bautista Agut, Grigor Dimitrov and Mirza Basic lifting the trophy in the first three editions. As was expected, Grigor Dimitrov was in the spotlight every year there, playing or not, as by far the most accomplished Bulgarian male player ever and the only who is currently ranked in the Top 250! Dimitrov decided not to play in Sofia in that inaugural season, taking a break after an early loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open and skipping the first two weeks of action in February, reports Tennis World USA. 

The home fans were very excited when he announced his participation in the last year's edition, defeating David Goffin in the final to win the title before skipping Sofia again this season due to a shoulder injury. Recently, Novak Djokovic's uncle Goran has been appointed as the tournament director of the Sofia Open and he announced some big names for the 2019 edition that will take place between February 4-10 next year.

The organizers have already signed Karen Khachanov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Fernando Verdasco, Gael Monfils, Roberto Bautista Agut and Stan Wawrinka but Grigor has decided to skip Sofia once again, calling it a 'private event' that has not improved the state of tennis in Bulgaria in the last couple of years. On Saturday, Dimitrov clarified his interview, saying he has nothing against the Sofia Open and that he is happy for the fact Bulgaria has a chance to host an ATP event.

Instead of that, Dimitrov calls the Bulgarian Tennis Federation to organize more lower-ranked events throughout the year (there was only one Futures held in Bulgaria...