From El Pais: Dual nationality dilemma for a young tennis star
When he raised his arms in triumph a few weeks ago after winning the under-16 Orange Bowl tournament, Gueorgui Rumenov undoubtedly had good reason to be satisfied. Life for this young tennis player, who will soon turn 16, has not been easy. Born in Bulgaria, he has been living in Spain for 15 years but still does not have Spanish nationality.
"His mother already has it," says his father, Rumen Baiakov. "Both Gueorgui and myself hope to get it in the next couple of months. We fulfill every requirement," explains Baiakov.
Rumenov arrived in Spain when he was just one year old. He has therefore spent more time in the country than the 10 years the law requires to acquire nationality. But the authorities are refusing to take into account the first four of those years as he was registered under his mother's residence permit. It's a legal mess. Similar to that of his name.
"Rumenov comes from my nickname, Rumen," his father explains. "But his real surname is Baiakov."...
When Gueorgui first picked up a tennis racket, he was only three years old and his father was a tennis professor at a tennis school in Alcobendas, a town just outside Madrid.
"I did not know where to leave my son so I used to take him with me to work," Baiakov, now 42 years old, explains. "It was like a game for him, but when he was five I started to teach him more seriously and he learned fast."
In very little time he became one of the best players in Spain within his age group. He became junior world champion and won the so-called "little Wimbledon" held in the Spanish town of Brunete. At the age of 12, he started training at the high performance center in Sant Cugat, alongside the Spanish Tennis Federation's elite players. He then won the national championship over several years.
"His is an exceptional case," says Juan Bautista Avendaño, former captain of the Davis Cup national team. "His father insisted on bringing him into the national set-up, and we already knew he had a great chance of succeeding."
Rumenov does not play tennis the Spanish way, but more like Eastern European or American players. "He has a great two-handed backhand and a good forehand. He is aggressive and, even though he is pretty good at the net, he doesn't volley very much. He has grown a lot this year E 12 centimeters and he's now 1.85 meters tall - and that is helping him to improve his serve," Avendaño explains.
"He is among the top players of his age; great mentality, he is a winner and very professional. He has a great chance." But the question is: does Spain want Rumenov?
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