Vincent Campos is the first chairman of the newly formed Public Council of the Bulgarian Tennis Federation. He is a former American diplomat with many years of experience in Bulgaria. Campos worked as a spokesman at the US Embassy in Sofia from 2009 to 2011. He participated in numerous media, academic and civic initiatives that helped to strengthen further the good bilateral relations between the US and Bulgaria.
Campos spoke to tribune.bg regarding the starting today Sofia Open 2023.
A few weeks ago, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) agreed to add the Sofia Open 2023 tennis tournament to the annual calendar instead of the Tel Aviv Open, which was cancelled due to the Israel-Hamas crisis. How important is hosting this professional tennis tournament for Bulgaria?
This tournament is significant to Bulgaria, and it marks the eighth year that the Bulgarian Tennis Federation (BTF) is hosting this event. But before I go much further into this topic, I would first like to express that all of us associated with the BTF remain concerned about the crisis, and our thoughts remain with all those affected by this terrible conflict.
The BTF, led by President Stefan Tsvetkov, responded without hesitation when the ATP approached them about the possibility for Bulgaria to host this tournament on very short notice. Usually, the tournament organizers would have several months to prepare for and to initiate all the necessary steps prior to the start of the actual event. In this case, the BTF had less than three weeks to turn this event from an idea into a reality. On more than one occasion, this achievement has been called “unprecedented”, which, I can confidently state, is a very accurate description because of all the challenges faced by the BTF team to accomplish this remarkable feat within an incredibly compressed timeline.
The ultimate success of this event will be due in large part to the combined efforts of the ATP, BTF, key Bulgarian government officials, and the venue managers where the competition will take place. The first round of qualifications will begin on November 4 at the “Sofia Hall” in “Borisova Garden”. The “main draw” event starts on November 7 at the “Sofia Arena”, where the finals will be contested on November 11.
Tickets to attend this event are selling fast and are available via the Eventim.bg website as well as several convenient locations such as the NDK ticket office, OMV gas stations, and The Mall of Sofia, to name a few. Exclusive VIP boxes (loges) are also available, and they offer a variety of special perks for all those guests. I highly recommend visiting the BTF website for additional information since new details about the tournament are posted several times throughout the day.
What are the benefits that this tournament offers to Bulgaria and Bulgarians in general? Will a successful event increase Bulgaria’s chances to host this event again in 2024?
The Sofia Open 2023 will shine the international spotlight on Bulgaria as an ideal destination for hosting international sporting events such as professional tennis. In recent years, the Sofia Arena has proven itself as a superb venue, while the BTF has aptly demonstrated that it is fully capable to manage complex planning and logistics for such tournaments, especially given the minimal preparation time in this case. We all anxiously await the first match, the first serve, and the first point to launch an entertaining week of professional tennis.
All of us associated with the BTF fully anticipate that this tournament will have a positive impact on Bulgaria in a variety of ways. The local economy will benefit from a surge in hotel bookings and the overall surge of domestic and international visitors. Additionally, local vendors will benefit by providing goods and services to the venues as well as to the players and their support teams.
Most importantly, however, are the Bulgarian tennis fans of all ages who will have the unique opportunity to witness “live” professional tennis at two family-friendly venues. On that note, I highly encourage fans to give every consideration to attending the qualification rounds, which will occur throughout the first weekend at a “cosy venue” where they can see seasoned veterans and rising Bulgarian and international stars in action.
Finally, I must point out that Bulgaria’s quick response and “call to action” to this short-notice offer to host the tournament reflects positively on the dedication and professionalism of the entire BTF team and all event partners. This positive image of Bulgaria should make Sofia very competitive for the chance to host this event in 2024.
Are you playing a role to assist the BTF in hosting the Sofia Open 2023?
Definitely!
As the chairman of the recently established BTF Advisory Board, I have the privilege to assist and provide advice to BTF President Stefan Tsvetkov and key members of this team on a variety of issues, mainly in Strategic and Tactical Communications. I have also drawn upon my extensive experience in Crisis Management as well as my previous two-year assignment at US Embassy Sofia as the spokesperson in order to help improve BTF team coordination and overall effectiveness.
And now, I once again encourage everyone to buy your tickets as soon as possible while they are still available. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing everyone courtside!
