Tuxedo-hunting Ivanov set for No. 1 spot after Wimbledon title success
As commanding in the Wimbledon media theatre as on court, Ivan Ivanov may well be a name to keep a close eye on after the teenager defeated American Ronit Karki to claim the Wimbledon boys’ singles title.
The 16-year-old defeated qualifier Karki 6-2 6-3 to become the first Bulgarian player to win a Junior Grand Slam singles title since Grigor Dimitrov conquered all before him at the 2008 US Open.
Dimitrov also triumphed at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon that year, with Ivanov now the sixth Bulgarian to win a Junior Grand Slam after Magdalena Maleeva, Dimitrov, Sesil Karatantcheva and Katerina and Manuela Maleeva.
His Junior Grand Slam success is set to see the teenager, who trains at the Rafa Nadal Academy, assume No. 1 spot in the ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings when they are updated on Monday.
That would be just reward for a player who looked nerveless as he took to Wimbledon’s Court No. 1 and looked as comfortable as could be as he defeated Karki with the minimum of fuss. That, however, does not tell the full story of the night before.
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“I had to go to sleep one hour before my bedtime just so I could focus,” said Ivanov, who is a two-time recipient of Grand Slam Player Grants financed through the ITF-operated Grand Slam Player Development Programme.
“But I couldn’t sleep and for one-and-a-half hours I was just rotating in my bed not able to sleep. But today, when I went on court, I was enjoying it. The pressure was off, and I felt very comfortable.
“Especially after the first couple of games, I found my game and found the way I had to play. Today was special. The last champion from Bulgaria was Grigor in 2008 and, for me, it was a privilege to play the final and to take the win. I am very happy about it.
“Discipline in my game is something that I am really working on. Being on the court from beginning to end and not disconnecting at any point is something I have been working hard to do. That’s something I did better here than before.”
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While he had not had chance to check his phone to see if he had received any congratulatory messages from Rafa Nadal, he and his team were busy trying to source suitable clothing for this evening’s Champions Ball.
“I am very excited to go to the winner’s dinner,” added Ivanov, whose previous best Junior Grand Slam result was reaching the semi-finals at the Roland Garros Junior Championships in June.
“I have been thinking a lot about it the last couple of days. It is something that I would love to go to. I didn’t expect to win so, right now, we’re dealing with it [getting a Tuxedo]. It’s a good problem to have.”
While the day belongs to Ivanov, Karki deserves enormous credit for his performances during the tournament having belied his position of No. 52 in the ITF World Tennis Tour boy’s rankings.
Had he triumphed, the 17-year-old would have become the first qualifier to win the boys’ singles title at a Grand Slam since Noah Rubin – also of the United States – won the title here in 2014. Karki more than played his part and his time may well come again.
For now, however, the spoils of victory belong to Ivanov. Good luck sourcing that suit.
A full list of results from the 2025 Junior Championships, Wimbledon can be accessed here