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Dimitrov opens up on what makes Balkan players tick

Dubai - The Balkan region, the poorest part of Europe, has never seen so many good tennis players in the same generation

It's the fighting spirit of the players from the Balkan region that have helped them become a force in the tough world of professional tennis, according to Grigor Dimitrov, the most successful player from Bulgaria in the history of the men's game.
Dimitrov, the world number four and the winner of the last year's prestigious ATP World Tour Finals, is not only the world-class player from that region.
In fact, the legendary Novak Djokovic (Serbia) also comes from the same region. Then you have the 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic (Croatia), three-time Grand Slam runner-up Simona Helep (Romania) and the 19-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece), the former junior world number one.
So what has made them so successful?
"That's a very good question. I've thought about that many times. I guess there's something in us, that fighting spirit that always, like, keeps us going, also propels us to be better," Dimitrov told reporters at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
"There are just so many dreams. You have so many dreams as a kid that your will power becomes way stronger than anything else, than the ideas in your head.
"I mean, we all come from such small little towns, it makes me appreciate what we all have achieved," said Dimitrov who was born in the small southern Bulgarian town of Haskovo.
The Balkan region, the poorest part of Europe, has never seen so many good tennis players in the same generation.
"If you ask me why the players from our region have been doing well now, I cannot answer," Dimitrov said.
"Of course, I can only speak for myself. I always wanted my parents to live in a better place. I always wanted to have a lot of everything so we don't have to worry about things. Also I know what we had to go through as a family.
"Yeah, I guess all those things, when you put them in, it's where you feel that you can just fight. Everything else seems like nothing to us anymore. I think this is what makes it even more special."
The 26-year-old Dimitrov, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, now hopes to remain healthy as he eyes a long career.
"If my body keeps on going healthy, there's nothing major with it, major like injuries, why not? I will just keep on playing," he said.
"I would say the longevity of a player can be extended a little bit more with the physios that we have with us. Everybody is taking a better care of their body, their team.
"I just believe in doing the right work. If you do the right work, if you're putting enough hours, you just give yourself a better chance to prolong your career."
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com