The story behind the journey.
From a small city in Bulgaria to the ATP Tour. This is who I am, where I come from and why I do what I do.
From Plovdiv to Barcelona
I started playing tennis when I was 5 years old with my dad back home in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. My dad, a very ambitious Eastern European father, wanted me to be great, so right from the start, practices were long and intense. By the age of 14, I was already ranked #1 in my country. A year later, I left home and went to live and train in Barcelona, Spain, in a tennis academy named 4Slam in the pursuit of a professional career. After 3 years spent training and playing tournaments, at the age of 18, I decided to pause my professional aspirations. I went back home, finished my high school education and took a gap year to clear my mind and figure out what to do next with my life. I ended up deciding to pick up the racket once more and go to the US to get my education while playing on a team there.
Division III Tennis
I got accepted to Tufts University, a small and prestigious school in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. Tufts is a Division III athletic program, which in my head meant they're not so good at tennis, but what D3 really meant was that the university did not prioritize athletics as part of their main objectives. To my surprise, the level of my teammates was very high and that pushed me to improve. The camaraderie and tight bonds amongst my teammates, who were from all around the world, made me really enjoy the team environment and fall in love with tennis once again. There, I met Sacha, a classmate and teammate of mine, with whom I got close really fast. We became doubles partners and have had an amazing journey full of success. We were ranked #1 in the country in my junior year and we've been pretty much the most dominant doubles pair in D3.
Breaking & Rebuilding
As an athlete, I've had many setbacks. After living and training for 3 years in Spain, trying to bring my tennis game to the level of professional tennis, I burnt out mentally due to all the pressure and expectations. It came to the point where I hated every second spent on court, and I didn't enjoy competing anymore. This is when I quit tennis. Later on, after deciding to play tennis again to get my education in the US, playing for my own reasons and being part of a team made me rediscover my love for the sport. While in college, full of life and desire to compete for Championships, I got multiple seasons full of injuries, sicknesses, and overall setbacks. My will was broken over and over again, but I kept coming back up because I felt I owed it to myself and my teammates. Setbacks, as unfortunate as they are, are full of lessons, and I can say confidently that I am a wise man.
From the Biggest Stages to a New Dream
Summer of 2025, I had the incredible opportunity to travel, coach and be a hitting partner to some of the best ATP/WTA doubles players in the world. I went to the biggest stages in my sport — Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. All this was possible thanks to a coach and a dear friend of mine — Jamie Cerretani, the person who taught me everything I know about doubles. One of his players that I traveled quite a lot with over that summer, Quinn Gleason, was the person who planted the seed in my mind of going professional. She kept telling me that I am a really good doubles player and that I should go pro after college. Quinn shares a similar story to mine. She went to college and, after graduating, decided to give professional tennis a chance. Now she is a Top 50 player. So having her tell me this really got me thinking. And the more I thought about it, the more I got this excitement building inside of me. That is when I knew I owed myself one more shot at professional tennis. I need to know how far I can go if I give it everything I've got. This is how my journey began.
"Pain is temporary, but greatness lasts forever."
— Alex Ganchev
What I Believe
Growth Mindset
The belief that our abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence rather than being fixed traits. I see challenges as opportunities to grow and learn something that is going to bring me closer to my best self. Never stop learning, never stop improving.
Progress Over Perfection
Don't wait for the perfect time to begin. Make the first step, be bold and get going. Every experience is a learning opportunity and life favors the ones who move first.
Transparency Is Strength
Documenting the losses, the frustration, and the slow days is not weakness. Being able to accept it and show all of it is strength, it is accountability. Sharing the real journey builds something real and hopefully it can inspire someone out there.
Playing With Freedom
The best tennis comes from playing without fear of the outcome. When you separate your identity from results, you unlock a level of performance where pressure is enjoyable. Those are moments where you learn more about your true potential and capabilities.