Bulgarian tennis talent reaches EOC finals
Tennis player Ivan Ivanov placed among the finalists for the 14th edition of European Olympic Committees' (EOC) Piotr Nurowski Prize for Best European Young Athlete, EOC said on Wednesday.
This is another major success for Bulgarian sport after snowboarder Malena Zamfirova won the winter edition of the awards.
Due to the strong competition, six rather than five young athletes from across Europe qualified for the final. Among them, for the first time in the summer edition, there is also a Bulgarian athlete, CE Report quotes BTA.
“I am happy that we are nominating a Bulgarian young athlete for a second time and once again our candidate has reached the final. Ivan Ivanov has already written his name in history as the first to win Wimbledon and the US Open in one year. It is gratifying that his achievements are appreciated not only in Bulgaria, but also by the other Olympic committees in Europe, which is recognition both for him and for Bulgaria,” commented Bulgarian Olympic Committee President-elect Vesela Lecheva.
While he is truly one of the few players to achieve the Wimbledon - US Open junior double, there are eight other players to have done so - including Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in 2008.
Ivanov had a highly successful 2025 season. Except becoming the first player to win multiple Grand Slam boys’ singles titles in a season since Tseng Chun-Hsin in 2018, he also became just the 2nd Bulgarian player to win a Grand Slam boys’ singles title after Grigor Dimitrov. He also made history as junior boys 2025 ITF World Champion, becoming the first Bulgarian player to win an International Tennis Federation World Champion award in any category. Ivanov finished the season on the top of the world junior rankings.
Finalists in the 14th summer edition of the Piotr Nurowski Prize:
- Ivan Ivanov, tennis
- Andrea Berishaj (Montenegro), taekwondo
- Amalia Covaliu (Romania), fencing
- Ruby Evans (United Kingdom), rhythmic gymnastics
- Alлika Inker Moser (Estonia), athletics
- Marusa Tereza Serkezi (Slovenia), cycling
The voting for the winner will take place during the 55th EOC General Assembly in Budapest, Hungary, on June 12. All finalists are invited to the gala dinner on the same day.
The EOC Piotr Nurowski Prize for Best European Young Athlete was created in 2011 to remember our dear friend and the great man of Olympism Piotr Nurowski, and through his example and his memory encourage young athletes to pursue a career in top sport, as well as inspire future generations to adopt a healthy lifestyle based on Olympic values and principles, EOC's official website states.
In 2025, Malena Zamfirova won the award in the winter sports category, impressing the jury with her speech. All finalists receive a plaque as well as prize money to invest in their preparation. The first-place prize is EUR 15,000, second place receives EUR 8,000, third place EUR 5,000, while fourth, fifth and sixth places receive EUR 3,000 each.
PHOTO: INSTAGRAM
