Last weekend, we saw the award ceremony for the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament that was held in Sofia. It was the first of two international tennis tournaments to be held in two consecutive weeks. The second one is for men in category M15 and will take place from July 4th to July 11th Sunday.
The main initiator of this was one of K&D’s founders - Tihomir Kazakov. Read below his interview for the Bulgarian Tennis Federation, about how and why he decided to support Bulgarian sports and tennis in particular:
What connects you to tennis?
T.K.: I’ve been playing tennis relatively recently, for about ten years now. Before that I was professionally involved in athletics. Sport is something you can’t do without. Man who has created a rhythm becomes demanding for everyday routine, for the body and for the psyche. I accidentally found tennis and I fell in love with it.
When and why did you decide to support Bulgarian tennis financially?
T.K.: First of all, I have to say that I’m not the only one doing it. Many friends helped in one way or another. The idea probably arose from pure altruism. But on the other hand, such a concept rather does not exist. Because every altruistic beginning more or less leads to some pleasure for the one who does it.
And yet why do you give money to sports?
T.K.: Because it’s good to support sports, in this case, tennis, which is also my hobby. After Covid and the suspension of many sports competitions, there are no opportunities for young people. They have almost nowhere to travel and play, which leads to poor preparation. This is my idea – to give our athletes the opportunity to play more international tournaments on local soil. Because tennis is like any other community – relatively closed. Competitors know each other and when they play only with each other, this leads to a routine that is more negative than positive. It’s nice to meet different styles of play, different schools. You gain an experience that you can’t gain from playing with the same five or six people.
As a business representative in Bulgaria, what do you think – to what extent is the Bulgarian business engaged in sports and to what extent is it motivated to do so?
T.K.: It’s hard to say. There are people who help, there are also those who promise to help, but in the end, they do not do the actual action. Unfortunately, I do not think that the Bulgarian business is very involved in sports.
What could change, how can sponsorship in sport be stimulated?
T.K.: Honestly, I don’t have an answer to that question. If I had, maybe I would organize more tournaments. So far, the resources are enough for two. If there was a universal formula, I would share it right away, but unfortunately, I haven’t found it yet. So far, everything is in good faith.
Read the whole interview on the website of the Bulgarian Tennis Federation.
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