Tsvetana Pironkova was named Bulgaria’s 2020 Athlete of the Year. Pironkova reached the quarterfinals at the 2020 US Open after a 3-year break from tennis due to maternity. At the French Open, she reached the third round.

Journalists from 40 media organizations voted on five-short listed candidates.  Pironkova won the vote convincingly, easily beating other contenders, wrestler Edmond Nazaryan, boxer Kubrat Pulev, sambist Maria Oryashkova, and swimmer Yosif Miladinov.

It is a privilege for me to be among the legendary figures, winners in the 63-year history of “Athlete of the Year”. I am grateful for the great love from all of you, which I have always received and in especially large doses since my return to the court. The feeling is really great. Thanks to all sports journalists who voted for me in the most prestigious poll for Bulgarian sports.

-Tsvetana Pironkova

There was no award ceremony due to the pandemic.  The organizers said Pironkova would receive the award after the pandemic measures are relaxed.

Pironkova’s best result at a grand slam came in 2010 when she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. She also reached a career-high ranking of 31 in singles that year.

In July 2016, she married former Bulgarian soccer player Mihail Mirchev. The couple welcomed a baby boy, Alexander, in April 2018.

Grigor Dimitrov has voted the Fan Favorite Player award. Dimitrov was named the Best Athlete in 2014 and 2017. 

Dimitrov won the 2017 ATP Finals. He has reached the semifinals a grand slam three times. He reached a career-high ranking of world number 3 in 2017.

Australian Open’s second-largest stadium, the Melbourne Arena is being renamed the John Cain Arena in memory of Victoria’s late Premier John Cain. Cain played an instrumental role in keeping the Australian Open in Melbourne.

The multipurpose arena with a capacity of 10,300-capacity has gone through many name changes over the years.  The arena opened in 2000 as the Vodafone Arena. In 2008, it became the Hisense Arena and in 2018, the arena was renamed the Melbourne Arena to promote the Melbourne brand to international visitors.

John Cain served as Victoria’s Premier from 1982 to 1990 and played an important role in the tournament’s relocation from Melbourne’s Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club to the Melbourne Park complex in 1988.

Australian Open’s third-biggest stadium is the Margaret Court Arena, named after one of Australia’s greatest tennis players. Court won 24 grand slam singles titles and 64 total majors, including doubles and mixed doubles.

The stadium’s name has attracted a lot of controversy in recent years. Margaret Court has openly expressed her anti-gay views over the years. Many former and current players have called for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed but so far such calls have had no impact.