In the spring of 2022, a video appeared on the screens of Instagram and TikTok users worldwide, at least those whose algorithm included tennis. At the IMG Future Stars, a tournament in the United States for players between 10 and 12 years old, a Bulgarian named Teodor Davidov had defeated Jaime Alcaraz, brother of Carlos, by 6-1 and 6-0. However, the most unusual thing was not the score: the boy had not hit a single backhand. He was ambidextrous! He could hit both forehands with his right and left hands.
The highlights of his matches began to accumulate viewers, and his parents, Kalin and Elina, received several sponsorship offers. Perhaps a bit exaggerated. It was a rarity, yes, but at his age, he did not deserve so much attention. Even Rafa Nadal himself played with both hands until he was eight years old, and there have been some professionals with that technique, like the American Luke Jensen, who won the Roland Garros doubles title in 1993.
That 11-year-old boy is now a 15-year-old teenager and already holds a prestigious title: he is the youngest in the ATP ranking. In the recent M15 tournament in Naples, also in the United States, he won two matches and reached the quarterfinals, earning three points on the list. Among his opponents was the Brazilian Karue Sell, who once reached number 258 in the world. Can he make the leap to the elite with two forehands? Everything points to yes.
Although he still lacks height, he has enough power in both hands to start building a career, and he is fully committed to the cause. According to his father Kalin, he trains nearly 30 hours a week, including weightlifting and speed drills on the track. Additionally, he has adopted a vegetarian and gluten-free diet following a holistic approach similar to that of Novak Djokovic.
The origin of this phenomenon has a lot to do with the family. "When Teo was about to turn eight, I decided he should start playing with his left hand to activate the right hemisphere of his brain. He is very outgoing, very fiery, a bit restless, so I wanted to work on that hemisphere by using the left side of his body," Kalin explains in a Tennis Channel documentary.
From Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, he and his wife moved to Denver shortly after Teodor's birth to further their professional careers. Kalin, a former volleyball player, is a physical education teacher; Elina, who was a trampoline jumper, works as a physiotherapist. Yoga and Ayurveda enthusiasts - the traditional integrative medicine of India - they chose the United States to attract more clients, and they were right. When their business was already successful, they did not hesitate to take it a step further: with their savings, they moved to Florida so that Teodor could work with better coaches.
The bet seems to be paying off. The backhand is not even on the table. "At first, his opponents forced him to play mostly with his left hand because it was his weaker arm, but in reality, they were doing him a favor. Over time, he improved and strengthened that shot. Now he has more power with the right, but he can also dominate with the left," explains his father.
In recent months, in addition to the good result in Naples, Davidov won the U-14 World Cup for teams representing the United States alongside another prodigy, Jordan Lee - also viral for his resemblance to Lamine Yamal - and participated in various promising tournaments, such as the renowned Petits As, where he became doubles champion. He also went on a mini-tour in Spain with junior tournaments in Girona, Tarragona, and Lleida, where he disappointed with three losses in four matches.
"I don't just want to be a professional player, I want to be the greatest tennis player of all time," the young man declares in words collected by Babolat, the brand that sponsored him last year. He now uses Yonex rackets. His ambitions are high, but at least he deserves to be taken seriously now. An ambidextrous tennis player is the youngest in the ATP ranking, and his shots should once again appear on the screens of Instagram and TikTok worldwide.