It is not cheap to be a badminton player at the highest level and it is not easy to find funding support.

Mariya Mitsova has recently announced that she is quitting playing Mixed Doubles with Alex Vlaar to focus on the Women’s Singles category. The Bulgarian national travels all around Europe to collect point for the World Ranking, and she admitted, that the journey to the top of Badminton World is costly.

- The funding is always the big question. The federation helps us but limited. I am just lucky that I have parents who support me, because in Bulgaria sponsorship is not a tendency, Mitsova said.

- People do not like to invest in sport in Bulgaria. We try to find sponsors, but we cannot succeed. I am more or less 80 percent covered by myself and my family. I invest in my future, but it is tough. I have two sisters, who sometimes are put to the side because of me. And also, therefore I need to deliver at some point.

Mixed Doubles not the focus
Mariya Mitsova might not travel less in the future despite of quitting the Mixed Doubles category. The economy is not the reason for focusing on the Women’s Singles.

- I see players that have been playing Mixed Doubles for 10-12 years already. They have an advantage compared to me, because I have been focusing on Singles. I have to work hard, if I want to try to qualify for the Olympics in Mixed Doubles, and that is not my goal for Tokyo, Mitsova said.

 - Singles has always been my first goal, but as a country we did not have a Mixed Doubles. When a Mixed Team Event was coming up, we were all like “Who is playing the Mixed Doubles?”, so we chose to create a Mixed Doubles with me an Alex, Mitsova said about the partnership which now has come to an end.

Mariya Mitsova is currently ranked number 89 in the World.