Fact Check

Yes, Tennis Player Grigor Dimitrov Helped an Ailing Ball Kid

The incident occurred during near-100-degree temperatures.

Published Sept. 13, 2021

 (Screenshot, Reddit)
Image Via Screenshot, Reddit
Claim:
Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov helped an overheated ball kid off the court to get help.

On Sept. 12, 2021, a Reddit user posted a video showing Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov helping a ball kid to the sidelines after he noticed that she appeared to have become overheated.

The video is real, but it's not current. The incident occurred in 2014. According to the Los Angeles Times, Dimitrov was competing in Miami at the Sony Open on March 23, 2014, and the temperatures that day were close to 100 degrees.

Dimitrov asked the ball kid for a towel, but she struggled to get it, and the tennis player noticed she was looking faint. He then helped her off the court to recover.

It wasn't the first time Dimitrov showed kindness to others on the court during moments of crisis. In 2016, he consoled a young ball kid who was hit with the ball during a game in Shanghai, giving the crying child his wrist bands as memorabilia.

In 2018, Dimitrov again made news for rushing to help his opponent Kyle Edmunds, who collapsed with an ankle injury during a game.


Sources

"Great Sport: Grigor Dimitrov Helps Rival, Then Advances to Brisbane Semis." Associated Press, 5 January 2018, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2018/01/05/kyrgios-moves-into-semifinals-at-brisbane-international/109173330/.

Vercelletto, Niko. “WATCH: Dimitrov Consoles Ailing Ball Boy in Shanghai.” Tennis.Com, 12 October 2016, https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/watch-dimitrov-consoles-ailing-ball-boy-in-shanghai.

Houston, Mitchell. “Watch Grigor Dimitrov Help Ailing Ball Girl Struggling with the Heat.” Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2014, https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-grigor-dimitrov-ball-girl-20140325-story.html.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more

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