Grigor Dimitrov Named Honorary Citizen of Varna

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria reacts to winning the second set tie-break during his men's singles quarter-final tennis match against Andy Murray of Britain at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 2, 2014. REUTERS

The most successful Bulgarian tennis athlete has just been named an honorary citizen of Varna. Grigor Dimitrov was bestowed the title on July 21, according to reports.

Black Sea Elite tennis club initiated the proposal due to Dimitrov's impressive performance in the current 2014 tennis season and the municipality of Varna granted the proposal with 100% votes, Tennisearth.com reported. Dimitrov once played for the said tennis club during his junior years. Varna is the third largest city in Dimitrov's home turf Bulgaria.

Dimitrov's 2014 Tennis Season

Dimitrov began his 2014 season by competing in the Brisbane International but he was ousted in the fourth round of the tournament after losing to Croatia's Marin Cilic. He then participated and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian open before losing to Rafael Nadal. Dimitrov's next tournament after the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific was in Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Unfortunately, he suffered another early exit in the fourth round to Latvian athlete Ernests Gulbis.

Dimitrov won his first title in 2014 at the Acapulco Open in Mexico. He played Kevin Anderson and defeated the South African native in two out of three sets. Then, Dimitrov faced and lost to Gulbis for the second time at the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells in California. He next battled Japan's Kei Nishikori in the fourth round of the Miami Open in Florida. Nishikori snagged a victory against the Bulgarian athlete in two sets.

Dimitrov has participated in two more tournaments in Greece's big tennis event and in the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters before bringing home his second title of the year in Bucharest. After clinching his Bucharest crown, Dimitrov starred in three clay tournaments in Miami Open, Italian Open, and French Open. He reached the semi-finals and lost to Nadal in Rome.

Dimitrov's third title was won at London Queen's Club in Great Britain. His last tournament was the 2014 Wimbledon Championships where he made his first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam semi-final against Novak Djokovic.

Dimitrov's impressive run in 2014 has also made him the first Bulgarian to break the top 10 of world rankings.