Born on January 11, 1970 in Pehuajó, Buenos Aires, Franco Davin is a former tennis player from Argentina who is now a tennis coach to Juan Martin del Potro who won the 2009 US Open. Davin rose to fame when he caught the Open Era record of being the youngest player to win a main level tour match. Davin won his first tour match in the ATP when he was 15 years old in Buenos Aires against Hans Gildemeister. He won his first career singles title in 1989 but his biggest career win came when he won over countryman Martin Jaite in 1986 before losing to Jay Berger.
Prior to turning pro, Davin won the 1986 US Open Junior doubles title. He has won three singles titles under his belt, one in Bucharest in 1994, another in Palermo in 1990, and the other in St. Vincent in 1989. Davin was also a runner up at Bologna, and a semifinalist at Athens, Prague. He also reached the quarterfinals in San Marino.
Davin currently resides in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Under his coaching Juan Martin del Potro was able to defeat former number one Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the US Open before he defeated Roger Federer in the finals. Davin is primarily responsible for del Potro’s quick rise through the ranks, from a lowly 75 to rank 13 and finally a rank of 5. However, he is also known for steadfastly downplaying his role as a coach, once saying,
“The coach’s influence is a little one, but it means a lot at the same time. I believe it involves a 15 or 20% of the player’s game.”
