Grigor Dimitrov: “I just want to do things the right way”
Grigor Dimitrov speaks about his reasons for his surprising honesty, how he is feeling right now, why he enjoyed UTS so much – and how his illness with Covid-19 has changed his outlook on life.
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov amazed the world at UTS when he spoke candidly about his diagnosis with Covid-19 and how he had struggled through a slow recovery from the virus.
Here Dimitrov speaks about his reasons for his surprising honesty, how he is feeling right now, why he enjoyed UTS so much – and how his illness has changed his outlook on life.
Picture people in a position that have had a contact with me. A kid, a family that cannot afford anything. What do you do? I cannot have that kind of responsibility hanging over my head for the rest of my life.
Why did you choose to go public with Covid-19?
I had to let people know so they can go and take the right precautions right away. Honestly, if I would have found out that there is some reason I was the cause of something like this, I probably would have helped the person myself.
Yes, we are athletes, yes, we are at the highest performance and everything, but we are just like everybody else.
The virus was hard on me. I stayed home for about a month. I was not breathing well. I was not feeling well, feeling tired, all the symptoms, I had no taste, no smell – everything that you could possibly think. It was no fun.
Dimitrov : “I’m thankful I had that time alone”
If I can give a good feedback of what it is, I’m here and open for that. I have nothing to hide. I have always been a very open and honest person. What you see if what you get.
One of the best things I actually learned how in moments like that you really seek the people that almost keep you alive, the people you are always needing. I’m actually kind of thankful I had that time alone. It was not easy, nobody likes to spend three weeks alone.
I have always been a very thankful person, very grateful, I would say, but lately I am becoming even more thankful on every day that I get out there that I am going out and enjoy the simplicity. I have never been so simple in my life, so low-key. Also as an athlete that is at a high performance I’ve done everything possible to keep my body in the best shape all my life. The past days I feel like I’ve had a great progress.
“I’m not counting on miracles right now”
I’ve had only a few days that I really was not feeling too well in the sense that my energy was a little bit low. I had to kind of dial down my practice a tiny bit, but it’s a process. That’s never going to be something that is going to happen overnight. I’m not counting on miracles right now. I just want to do things the right way and progressively. It’s been a pleasure for me to be out here, to play, to enjoy a big part of what I love doing, and that is competing.
And again if I could ever be of any help, whether it’s for the public, for the fans, for the tennis, and if it’s the right fit for me, I would always help, because I know what I can bring to the table.
