Teodor Davidov hits left-handed on the Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships Boys’ 12 and beneath on Dec. 18, 2021.
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Pint-sized dynamo Teodor Davidov is single-highhandedly shaking up the junior tennis world along with his distinctive ambidextrous type.
Literally.
Where do you hit the ball when your adversary seamlessly switches fingers in mid-rally and has two glorious one-handed forehands with out a backhand to assault?
That’s the case for 11-year-old, 4-foot-6 Davidov, the No. 1 seed within the Boys’ 12s, who rolled into the quarterfinals of the USTA Junior Orange Bowl International Championships on the clay courts of Salvadore Park on Saturday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Tam Sin Shang of Hong Kong.
Davidov’s unorthodox type has created head-scratching issues for his opponents as evident from his current victory within the prestigious Level 2 Eddie Herr match in Bradenton, a few lob away from the place the Bulgarian native trains at Inspiration Academy.
“Both of his shots are the same, mostly cross-court and he has a very good shot down the line,’’ said Mark Mrcela, 12, who lost to Davidov in the quarterfinals of Eddie Herr. “It’s hard to know which side is worse.”
Davidov has turn out to be a social media sensation since video of his type went viral throughout his quarterfinal run within the Easter Bowl. A pure right-hander when consuming his vegetarian, gluten-free food plan, he takes his quirky strokes even additional by serving right-handed to the deuce courtroom and left-handed within the advert courtroom, sending his opponents out large to arrange a straightforward cross-court groundstroke winner.
“I love it and will always do it,’’ Davidov said. “I like to show them different spins.”
His father, Kalin, the mastermind of the two-forehand strategy, has a grasp’s diploma in excessive sports activities efficiency, in addition to a bachelor’s diploma in bodily training and tennis teaching.
“I never planned this to give any strategic or tactical advantages in tennis,’’ said Kalin, who moved the family from Bulgaria to Denver when Teodor was 18 months old.
“I thought it might be better to balance his personality and become a better version of himself, so I started experimenting with him hitting left-handed when he was 8 years old.
“Yoga is a driving force in our family life so I’m trying to use tennis as a method of self-development. I’m not just training a great tennis player, for me this is secondary. A balanced life is our goal.”
After brutal matches, Davidov usually receives massages from his mom, Elina, or Kalin, who’re each licensed bodily therapists and masseuses.
Wilson tennis endorsement coach Jaushwa Russell marvels at Davidov’s fearlessness.
“He doesn’t have anything that resembles a backhand,’’ Russell said. “He has no fear and that’s what separates him from some of the other players who have good strokes and good balance but they’re only using about a 75 percent swing speed versus their max. The majority of his swings are full-fledged swings, and it doesn’t matter how big the point.”
The solely professional at the moment using two single-wing forehands is 31-year-old Korean Cheong-Eui Kim, who’s languishing at a rank of 966. Russia’s Evgenia Kulikovskaya was ranked within the prime 100 within the early 2000s whereas taking part in tennis with two forehands.
When requested of his future aspirations, the considerate teenager with a excessive IQ on and off the courtroom, replied: “I don’t have any expectations of myself just as long as I give it my best,’’ he said. “I want to turn pro when I’m older. I just want to be different.”
So far this month, his greatest has been greater than sufficient, and he definitely is completely different.
