Moldovan tennis player Dmitrii Baskov has been hailed as an “Indian hero” after joining a campaign to feed Ahmedabad’s poor, who are struggling during the coronavirus lockdown.
Baskov, a two-time Davis Cup player, arrived in India in January to visit a tennis academy before the advancing pandemic prevented him from returning home.
The 25-year-old, once a hitting partner for Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, has since been helping out by packaging food for the needy in Ahmedabad, capital of the western state of Gujarat.
He is among a team packing bread, rice and other dishes at the Ace Tennis Academy, destined for the city’s slums and containment zones.
“My friend Pramesh Modi mentioned this (idea of feeding the poor) and I said yes, sounds great and the next day we did it and it continued day after day,” Baskov told AFP.
“One hundred, 200, 300 packets and then we realised we are doing some great stuff. It is not a daily desire or action, it is now a natural act of helping.
“I am a sportsman and nothing more than that but the desire to help is always with me.”
