Tennis phenom David Volfson, left, continues to tear up the court with victories in singles and doubles at the Akademik Cup’s under 14 competition last month in Kosice, Slovakia.

Volfson, 13, defeated Michal Dembek, the top-ranked player from Poland, and also won the doubles event with his partner from England, Lucas Taylor.

It was his best international showing in 2011 since the AEGON Junior International in Bolton, England, where he advanced to the final 16. In four tournaments this year, he’s played 10 singles matches and won seven.

Volfson’s 2011 season is building on successes from 2010. Last year, he registered first-place finishes in singles and doubles at Tennis Canada’s under 14 Rogers Junior National Championships in Edmonton, along with first-place finishes in singles and doubles at the Jug Open in Skopje, Macedonia. He came close to winning the Subotica Open in Serbia soon after that, losing in the final to number 1 seed Bogdan Borza of Romania.

A Grade 8 student at the Leo Baeck Day School’s north campus, Volfson took the opportunity while in Kosice to learn about the city’s Jewish heritage. He met the rabbi at the local synagogue and was told that before World War II, Kosice had nearly 12,000 Jews. Now there are only about 200. “Before the Holocaust, every fifth person in the city was Jewish,” Volfson said.

In conversation with his principal, Yvette Burke, they discovered that her parents were married at the same synagogue in Kosice he visited.

Volfson’s budding tennis career has taken him to tournaments around the world. One of the advantages of his playing tennis at an elite level is the opportunity to travel, learn about Jewish communities around the world and expand his horizons.

Since he misses quite a bit of school while competing, Volfson enjoys learning about the history of each country, finding it a good way to be educated in world history. 

During his trips, he builds time into his schedule for touring with his parents and coaches. While Volfson does not have a particular “favourite country,” he enjoys comparing one country to the next and learning about the different ways people live. 

“I love playing against different people from across the world and also the competitive atmosphere,” Volfson said when asked what he loves most about playing tennis. He realizes the commitment he has made to tennis but has always been taught to enjoy his time on the court.

In an interview with The CJN last June, Volfson’s coach, Guram Kostava of the Players Edge Tennis Academy, said the young player’s future is virtually unlimited. “He’s going to make history, that’s what I think. Time will tell, but he has all the potential.

“He’s very good at everything, good at the baseline, he’s got good first and second serves, and he’s mentally strong. He has a good fighting spirit.

“He keeps the ball inside and fights until the last point. He’s like a machine, he never breaks down.”

A member of the National Training Centre program at York University, Volfson get the best of coaching, has access to nutritionists, sports psychologists and all the other elements of the program designed to develop world class players.

His dream is to win Wimbledon one day and be ranked No. 1 in the world.