Novak Djokovic's upcoming invitational match against Grigor Dimitrov is the most anticipated tennis match in Bulgaria, and tennis fans have wasted little time booking their slots.
Last week, it was reported by Bulgarian media that former World No. 1 Djokovic will play Dimitrov in an exhibition match in the country's capital city, Sofia, on Tuesday, September 17th, in the evening at Arena Sofia.
Despite Djokovic never having played an official ATP match in Bulgaria in his illustrious career, he remains just as popular as the country's most prominent tennis player, Grigor Dimitrov.
The scheduled match between the two Top 10 players has already drawn unparalleled interest. According to Miroslav Emanuilov, the head of the online ticketing platform for this match, tickets sold in a record eight minutes.
There was an overwhelming influx of ticket demand of about 15,000 to 16,000 visitors per minute on the platform, which is beyond the norm of three to four requests per person.
This has now been reported as the fastest sell-out for a sporting event in Bulgaria. The venue, which has the capacity to hold up to 11,000 spectators, will be split to accommodate sponsors, who only account for approximately 20 percent of the seats. The rest are general sales.
Some reports indicated that a section of those buyers were looking to exploit genuine tennis fans by reselling the tickets in "black markets" at double or triple the price after the site failed to honor the demand just a few minutes after the tickets were first made available.
Emanuilov confirmed that they took measures to limit bulk ticket purchases, as one buyer was restricted to purchasing a maximum of eight tickets, but this could not prevent quick sales due to the surging interest for the match.
The event has been organized in tandem with the Grigor Dimitrov Foundation. The 33-year-old one-hander is a known philanthropist who aims to make a radical change for young children from disadvantaged backgrounds in his country.
The foundation also caters to community development projects, among other humanitarian causes. Djokovic, who is also passionate about giving back to society, was determined to play his role through his tennis ability and fame.
Djokovic and Dimitrov have played 13 times on the ATP Tour, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion winning 12 of those matches. Dimitrov's only win in their head-to-head match was at the 2013 Madrid Open when he won a thrilling three-set match.
It was expected to be the defining moment in Dimitrov's career as a future Grand Slam champion. But despite making a couple of semifinals at the majors, the former World No. 3's upswing yielded an ATP Finals title and one Masters in Cincinnati (both in 2017).
It was also in 2017 that Dimitrov won the Sofia Open in Bulgaria on his debut appearance. Returning there as a Top 10 player in his early 30s will be a great achievement.
And as for Djokovic, this exhibition is expected to be his first tennis match after the 2024 US Open as he is unlikely to play in the Davis Cup and has not been to play at the Laver Cup
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