The boy without a backhand is now the youngest in the ATP Rankings

Jose Morón | 19 Feb 2026 | 11.11

Teodor Davidov, the boy without a backhand, is now the youngest in the ATP Ranking. Photo: Petite AS

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These days, there has been talk again about Teodor Davidov, the boy without a backhand, as he has earned his first ATP point, making him the youngest within the ATP Ranking. His videos go viral every week because he plays with two forehands, sparking the debate of whether that could be viable at a professional level.

Teodor was born in Bulgaria, but his family moved to the United States when he was just one and a half years old. At only 11 years old and after several years of training with his father, they took him to Bradenton, a place well-known for being the birthplace of many tennis projects throughout history. Davidov was already hitting the ball hanging from a string held by his father when he was just a toddler, barely a few hands tall, at the age of two.

“My dad noticed that my left-handed forehand was very good”

Those are the words of Davidov, explaining how his unique playing style emerged. In a game proposed by his father, Davidov had to practice coordination on both sides, and as he struck with his left hand, his father noticed that his left-handed forehand was quite good.

This is reminiscent of the case of Rafa Nadal, who as a child, used to hit everything with two hands due to lack of strength, and his uncle Toni made him hit the forehand on both sides, realizing that his left side was more powerful. That's how Rafa's left-handed forehand originated when he was actually right-handed. A similar situation happens with Teodor, although his father, in his case, suggested hitting the forehand on both sides and playing without a backhand, for now.

“People who haven't seen me play criticize my playing style”

Davidov asserts that he attracts a lot of attention and interest when playing, as it is unusual to see a kid playing with two forehands. In fact, among the rising youngsters, only he and Lucas Herrera play this way. However, transitioning this playing style to a professional level becomes quite challenging when the ball's pace is completely different from that of younger players aged between 11 and 16.

When they are young, kids have time to anticipate where the opponent will hit the ball, enabling Davidov to switch hands and adjust his grip. Extrapolating this to the professional scene, Teodor wouldn't have time to switch hands trying to return a 230km/h serve or a 160km/h forehand from the center of the baseline.

The challenge arises when changing the grip. It would be extremely difficult to compete professionally by shifting between two forehands. When hitting the backhand, there is minimal change in grip type, providing the necessary time, unlike attempting to hit with both hands on your forehand side.

Although initially one might think this is a competitive advantage by hiding your backhand, a shot often considered the weakest, technically, it would be a disadvantage. We are unsure if Davidov would prefer to play with a right-handed or left-handed forehand, but if he doesn't soon train his backhand in preparation for the professional leap, he may lose confidence when facing older players and seeking to climb higher, eventually resorting to hitting backhands.

Teo is fully committed to pursuing his dream and becoming a tennis player. In fact, in an interview with Babolat, he mentioned that his goal is to become the greatest tennis player of all time. Quite ambitious, indeed.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El niño sin revés ya es el más joven del Ranking ATP