By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Ambidextrous American teen Teodor Davidov made his Flushing Meadows debut this week and he’s grabbing the opportunity with both hands, hoping to flummox his U.S. Open juniors opponents with an added layer of unpredictability.
The 16-year-old can serve left or right, and mixes it up as much as possible. He does not even bother with a backhand, joining a very rare few ambidextrous players to chase a career in competitive tennis.
“It gives me a lot more reach and I can get to more balls, more court coverage, as well as different spins,” Davidov, who is playing in the doubles on a wildcard entry, told Reuters. “A lot of my friends who have played me, they always tell me how annoying I am to play with all the different spins.”
He and his junior doubles teammate Tyler Lee beat Brazilian pair Pedro Henrique Chabalgoity and Leonardo Storck Franca in the first round on Monday, and his unique style has attracted a bit of social media attention, with footage of his left-and-right serves a highlight on the tournament’s official channels.
Davidov’s abilities caught the eye of his father when he was eight, when a drill to improve his two-handed backhand revealed the unusual skill.
“Slowly my dad saw that my lefty point was actually not bad for for someone who isn’t lefty,” said Davidov, who exited in the first round of the juniors singles on Sunday.
“His idea was also to get more balanced and that would help also with even just playing righty. And then I just started slowly playing more lefty more. Then I started hitting some volleys and serves and slowly transitioned.”
There are few ambidextrous tennis pros to be found across the sport’s history, with American Luke Jensen – nicknamed “Dual-Hand Luke” – among the most famous after winning the French Open doubles in 1993.
“I wanna become the best I can be,” said Davidov. “I really want this to go all the way.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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