Israel sports

Original Article Posted on The Jerusalem Post

After war-related cancellation of tournaments and battling on the PR front, blue-and-white players back winning on the court as the Davis Cup nears.

When the war against Hamas started, the outlook for Israeli tennis looked bleak.

A major men’s tournament set to attract top players to Tel Aviv as well as six lower-level professional tournaments were canceled, a high-profile women’s tennis player offered negative comments about Israel, Israel Tennis Education Centers were unable to offer programs to hundreds of children, and Israel’s come-from-behind Davis Cup victory over favored Japan on September 17, just three weeks before the war, seemed a distant memory.

But thanks to the quick action and commitment of the Israeli tennis community, Israeli tennis is up and running, in the Holy Land and around the world, albeit with some caution and modifications.

The indoor hard-court Tel Aviv Watergen Open, scheduled for November 5-11 at the Expo Tel Aviv was abruptly called off due to the war. In a supportive statement, Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “The violence and acts of terror witnessed in Israel are beyond comprehension. We strongly condemn any form of terrorism and mourn the loss of innocent lives across this conflict. We hope and pray for peace in the region.”

Two-time Wimbledon finalist and current world No. 6 women’s tennis player, Ons Jabeur, was less sympathetic.

Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur has condemned acts of violence on social media, but also included the hashtag #FreePalestine in her post. (credit: REUTERS)

The 29-year-old Tunisian Muslim wrote on Instagram: “What Palestinians have been going through during the last 75 years is indescribable. What innocent civilians are going through is indescribable; no matter what their religion is, or what their origin is. Violence will never bring peace; I cannot stand with violence but I also cannot stand with people having their lands taken.” She ended her post with the #FreePalestine hashtag.

Israel Tennis Association registers a complaint

The ITA (Israel Tennis Association), via the ITF (International Tennis Federation), approached the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the main organizing body of professional women’s tennis to complain about Jabeur’s post. Following a win at the WTA finals in Mexico in November, Jabeur continued to comment on the war.

“It’s very tough seeing children, babies dying every day,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking, so I have decided to donate part of my prize money to help the Palestinians.”

Avi Peretz, ITA chairperson, wrote in an ITA Facebook post: “This tennis player fights, incites and supports a murderous terrorist Nazi organization. We’re glad she’s in the minority…”

ITF President David Haggerty shared heartfelt condolences for the plight of Israel and Israelis.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of life. Our hearts go out to all those affected by the violence in Israel in recent days.”

Haggerty also thanked the ITA for the help and quick actions it took regarding the evacuation of the dozens of players, coaches and judges who were present in Israel ahead of international tournaments that were to take place in Israel. He added that the ITF “strongly condemns the violence we have witnessed in Israel. It is our fervent hope that peace and security in the region can be found.”

When the Watergen Tel Aviv Open was relocated to Sofia, Bulgaria, on short notice, Peretz played an important role in the tournament.

“My father is from Bulgaria,” he noted. “This is his hometown, and for me this is a very emotional moment.

“I hope that the situation in Israel will normalize and next year we will be able to invite Stefan Tsvetkov [President of the Bulgarian Tennis Federation] to the tournament with us.”

Tsvetkov offered support for Israel.

“We sympathize with our friends from Israel who at the moment cannot have a normal life and sports calendar. I hope that there will be peace in the region again soon.”

At the Sofia Open, Adriana Mannarino of France defeated Jack Draper of England in the Finals, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3.

Back home, meanwhile, former Israel tennis great, Jonathan (Yoni) Erlich, current director of the high-performance program at ITEC, reports on their countrywide efforts to meet the needs of children in need throughout Israel during these difficult times.

“For the first 10 days, the whole country was in shock and all of the tennis centers were shut down,” Erlich said. “But right away, we were in communication with our kids – through chat, Zoom and WhatsApp. Since there was no school, we gave them videos for homework, and encouraged them to keep active and exercise.”

ITEC has helped over 500,000 children, many of whom live in underserved towns throughout Israel, since opening its first center in 1976. ITEC currently serves nearly 7,000 children weekly throughout 24 Israeli communities.

Erlich recounted ways in which ITEC families and staff have been pitching in during the war.

“When people were evacuated from the south and from the north, families in Tel Aviv, Ramat Hasharon, Jerusalem, Haifa, and other places opened their homes to players and their families. We really used our great and strong organization to take care of all of our kids.”

He noted that within two or three weeks, tennis centers with bomb shelters resumed tennis operations and children were welcomed to play in any open center.

ITEC has also hosted soldiers from Special Forces in their Ramat Hasharon center for what Erlich described as a day of “fun, tennis, lessons and lectures about motivation” by himself and his former longtime doubles partner, Andy Ram.

Erlich, who is also captain of Israel’s Davis Cup team, recently learned that his team will be playing its next round versus the Czech Republic in the Czech Republic in February.

Israel is one of 24 teams to play in the Davis Cup qualifiers on the road to the World Cup.

“It is huge! I feel very fortunate to lead the team and still be connected with the Davis Cup after 23 years.”

There have been some posts on social media calling on the ITF (International Tennis Federation) to not allow Israel to participate in the Davis Cup. They note the ban on Russian players in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, who have not been allowed to participate in team events in tennis since March 1, 2022.

Erlich is unfamiliar with such posts and looks forward to his work with the current team (he has not named the team members yet). He is also excited about the “next generation” he hopes will emerge in the next few years.

In the meantime, several potential Israeli Davis Cup team players continue to represent their country in tournaments around the world.

Yshai Oliel, No. 434 in the world, recently advanced to the quarterfinals and semifinals of several tournaments in Greece. Daniel Cukierman, No. 481, played several tournaments in Italy, advancing to the quarterfinals in Ortisei, Italy.

Erlich is looking forward to the very important upcoming Davis Cup tie.

“Now it is more urgent to do something great and show joy. We will go proudly to the tournament. If we usually give 100%, this year we will give 200%!”

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Original Article On The Jerusalem Post

Fans flock to Flushing Meadows for last Grand Slam of the year • No Israeli players in main draw

The grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, are surprisingly bustling and alive a full week before the US Open Tennis Championships even gets under way.

Fans are taking selfies with players and getting autographs from the likes of Russian-Israeli Atslan Karatsev, and they are watching some of the world’s almost-best players in action including Eugenie Bouchard, Kevin Anderson and Sara Errani.

True tennis fans and thousands of curious New Yorkers looking for a way to entertain their children in the final weeks of the summer know an important US Open secret – that the pre-tournament week of August 22-27 is exciting, family friendly and perhaps most importantly free to attend (though there is plenty of items on which to spend money)!

Welcome to the US Open Qualifying Tournament and Fan Week! Both kicked off on Tuesday and provide a glimpse of the players, food and venue which will keep fans entertained for nearly three weeks.

The US Open main draw, which officially kicks off August 28 and runs until September 10, is the final Grand Slam tennis event of the year following the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon.

Madison Brengle of the United States hits a shot against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia on day one of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (credit: JERRY LAI-USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS)

Fan Week and the qualies

Fan Week kicked off on Tuesday with the first round of the qualifying tournament. A hungry cast of 128 men and women who didn’t quite make the cut for the main draw of the US Open battle it out for 32 spots in the main draw (16 men, 16 women). All they need to do is win three matches and remain standing on Friday.

During the week, fans can move between 13 courts and check out play while taking needed breaks to sample often pricey food and drinks (beer: $14.50; sparkling wine: $19; coffee: $7.25) and load up on similarly expensive merchandise (hats: starting at $38; t-shirts: $38 or $48). They can also interact with stilts walkers, learn to dance salsa with Ballet Hispanico, and spin the wheel for fabulous prizes from Emirates and other vendors.

The tennis and non-tennis activities extend into the evening. On Tuesday night, a free exhibition showcased tennis greats from days past, including Kim Cjisters, Tommy Haas, Caroline Wozniacki and James Blake.

On Wednesday, “Stars of the Open” featured exhibition matches with current top players in support of the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Top-ranked American Jessica Pegula, 2022 semifinalist Francis Tiafoe, Christopher Eubanks, Matteo Berretini and defending US Open champ Carlos Alcaraz joined Ukraine’s best known player, Elina Svitolina, for a special evening – all for a nominal cost of $25 to $50 with proceeds going to Ukraine relief efforts.

Foodies can pay $183 to benefit the USTA foundation and sample dozens of food and drink options, including caprese from Eataly, classic New England lobster roll from Josh Capon’s Fly Fish, Greek salad and lamb gyro from King Souvlaki and toasted Cuban sandwiches from David Burke’s Mojito. They can also sample the tournament signature drink, a “Honey Deuce” cocktail.

On Friday night, a free concert with Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and bilingual composer Sebastián Yatra will take place, followed by Saturday’s Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, where children get to sample tennis through games, activities and entertainment, including pop duo Crash Adams and K-pop artist AleXa, as well as Disney Channel’s Issac Ryan Brown and Danielle Jalade.

For those who came to see tennis, the practice courts are packed with pros preparing for the tournament. Practice times are posted and some high profile players including Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcarez, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton making appearances.

What’s new and exciting this year?

The US Open officially kicks off on Monday with the first round of the men’s and women’s main draw. The current favorites to win the US Open singles championships are Alcaraz and Swiatek, though the return of the always-colorful and often controversial Novak Djokovic is drawing attention.

At a recent pre-tournament media session with USTA Chairman of the Board and President Brian Hainline (who also serves as the chief medical officer for the NCAA), Lew Sherr, chief executive officer and executive director of the USTA, and Stacey Allaster, chief of professional tennis the US Open tournament director, the three captured the uniqueness of the US Open.

“I can’t wait for Novak being back here on Arthur Ashe Stadium<’ exclaimed Allaster. “We’ve missed him. His fans have missed him. Novak, his record is speaking for itself. He’s chasing every record in the book. We’ll have this amazing opportunity to watch history unfold as he performs on court.”

The tournament will feature three American men and women in the top 15 including Taylor Fritz, Tiafoe and Tommy Paul. On women’s side, Pegula is No. 3, Gauff is No. 7 and Madison Keys is No. 15. Other top-ranked players with names which may still be unfamiliar to casual fans, include Caspar Ruud of Norway (#7) and Holger Rune of Denmark (#5)

Hainline explained what, in addition to top players, makes the tournament special.

“First and foremost, the US Open takes place in the great city of New York, where we have the best fans, the most passionate fans, and the most energy of any sporting event in the entire world. The US Open also takes place in the borough of Queens, right here in Flushing Meadows. The borough of Queens is where there are more languages spoken than anywhere else in the world, and if you’re a foodie, there are more choices for different kinds of food than anywhere else on this planet.”

The three noted that this year marks 50 years where the US Open was the first sport in the world to offer equal prize money to men and women. In addition, The US Open is the first Grand Slam to hold wheelchair tennis as a competitive event.

“Last year we were the first Grand Slam to host junior wheelchair tennis. This year we’re the first Grand Slam to double the size of the quad wheelchair draw, so quad wheelchair tennis and open wheelchair tennis are on a par with each other,” Hainline added.

Where are the Israelis?

It is no secret that Israel has been underrepresented on the big stages of tennis in recent years.Long in the past are days when Shahar Peer, Julia Glushko, Dudi Sela, Andy Ram, Yoni Erlich represented Israel at Grand Slam tennis events. Not too many years ago, Israeli juniors like Yshai Oliel, Or Ram Harel, Leria Patiuk and Bar Botzer similarly represented Israel at Grand Slam events. Developing players at the top levels of tennis is costly and requires funding and dedication.

Many Israeli juniors have chosen to play college tennis in the United States. This list includes such players as Jonathan Baron (UNC Wilmington), Shavit Kimchi (Duke), Yair Sarouk (University of Alabama), Ran Amar (University of the Pacific), Nicole Khirin (University of Texas), Guy Finkelstein (University of Southern Indiana), and Itay Feigin (New Mexico State University).

Israeli tennis legend, Erlich, remains optimistic about the future of Israel tennis. He joined Israel Tennis & Education Centers (ITEC) six months ago as Director of the High-Performance Program where he is responsible for identifying talent from the entire country and for developing competitive tennis players from all backgrounds.

While Erlich proudly notes that the junior scene in Israel is “on the rise” and adds, “I believe that within five to seven years, Israel will produce a world champion-caliber player and attain results on par with that,” he acknowledges that “we are not there yet.”

“I have found my biggest challenge is to make the next generation of professional players – starting with age six or seven. In the last few months, my focus has been on how to rebuild – coaches, players and the program.

It is very good and challenging. We have had no great players in the last 20-25 years – I need to acknowledge that we have not top players while focusing on rebuilding.

“I am working to build the next generation so that by the time the 6-to-10-year-olds are 13 to 16 they will be super competitive and Israel will have a good base.”  

Erlich’s old friend and doubles partner, Ram, reports that he too is “very involved” with ITEC, he speaks with Erlich every day and is “helping Yoni with the future of Israel tennis.”

Last summer, prior to the US Open, Eyal Taoz, director of Strategy and Projects at Israel Tennis and Education Centers, said: “No one made it this year to the US Open but we have juniors ranked around 200 in the world or so. They are making nice progress and getting results.”

He was particularly excited about the prospects of Ron Ellouck, Ofek Simanov, Volvo Basilevsky, Mika Buchnik and Karin Altori.

This year, two Israeli juniors, including one who Taoz mentioned, will participate in the girls’ qualifying tournament.Buchnik, 16, is currently the 43rd ranked junior in the world. Liam Oved, 18, who currently lives and trains in Belgium, will represent Israel at the US Open girls qualifiers. She is currently No. 75 in the world.

Ram, who hopes to visit the US Open this year, has known Buchnik since she was four years old.

Other former Israeli professional tennis players scheduled to attend the US Open include Sela, who will be accompanying Buchnik, and Glushko, a long time friend and part of the coaching team of Australian Priscilla Hon.A diverse delegation of ITEC ambassadors – perhaps destined to represent Israel on the world stage in the future –recently participated in tennis exhibitions across the US. The ambassadors include a Ukrainian immigrant, an Israeli Arab, a player who is hearing impaired and a member of the girls’ empowerment program. The delegation recently returned from the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, where they participated in Building Bridges Through Tennis Program, a multicultural experience between ITEC and TeamFame Youth Development Program.

Other Jewish players

Some lucky Jewish players, scheduled to play in the “qualies” moved right into the main draw when others, including Israel-born Denis Shapovalov had to withdraw. They include Diego Schwartzman, No. 116, of Argentina, who made his first trip to Israel last September to play in the Tel Aviv Watergen Open and Madeline Brengle, #97.

Karatsev, ranked 76th, lived in Israel as a child and speaks Hebrew; he currently plays for Russia. Sixteen-year-old Valerie Glozman, the daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish father and a Taiwanese mother, is in the womens’ qualifiers for the second year in a row.

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Original Article Published On The Jerusalem Post

Nadal advanced to Friday’s semifinals, his eighth US Open final four.

Diego Schwartzman’s storied US Open run came to an end in the early hours of Thursday morning in three hard-fought sets against Rafael Nadal, with a final result of 6-4, 7-5, 6-2

The Spaniard had beaten Schwartzman all seven times they’ve played, including a straight-set win in the third round of the 2015 US Open. Schwartzman had won only two sets in the previous 17 against Nadal. The 27-year-old Argentine Jew, who beat Alexander Zverev to advance to the quarterfinals, was the only player to win a set off Nadal at the 2018 French Open, when Nadal went on to win his 11th Rolland Garros title.

While Nadal took Thursday’s match in straight sets, the match was not easy for the second seed. In the first two sets, Nadal raced to double-break leads. However, a number of misfires by the 33-year-old Spaniard allowed Schwartzman to get back into each set.

The momentum appeared to shift for Schwartzman in the seventh game of the second set. Down 5-1, Schwartzman broke Nadal twice to tie the score at five apiece. Prior to the match, Nadal’s serve had only been broken twice at Flushing medals; Schwartzman broke Nadal four times.

Following a difficult passing winner, the crowd stood and cheered, calling out Schwartzman’s name.  Schwartzman repeatedly pumped his fists toward the packed, Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd and, inspired by the fans’ enthusiasm, continued to fight.

“It crazy,” said Schwartzman. “It’s nice when it’s happening on court, the big points and when you win the big points. I took a lot of confidence after that point.”

Nadal held serve to go up 6-5 as the match clock topped two hours. Schwartzman served and saved three match points before going down 7-5.

The players stayed on serve in the third set before Nadal broke Schwartzman in game six to go up 4-2. While the match appeared to be winding down, Nadal showed signs of wear and tear, receiving treatment from the trainer on his left forearm.

Nadal mustered strength and came out fighting, winning nine of 10 points in games five through seven.  At 30-30 in the third set’s eighth game, Schwartzman hit long before hitting the final shot of the match into the net.

The old friends embraced at the net.  The crowd cheered the hard-working Schwartzman who stayed on court to sign autographs for late-night fans.

In the 1 a.m. media session, Schwartzman was asked to describe Nadal’s tenacity.

“He is like a lion in the middle, you know, in the jungle. He’s a fighter. He knows how to play the important moments every single time. I have played him eight times, and every important moment he played better than me!”

Nadal advanced to Friday’s semifinals, his eighth US Open final four, against 24th-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini of Italy. The big-hitting Berrettini outlasted No. 13 Gael Monfils of France 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5) in Wednesday’s thrilling five-setter. 

The other men’s semi features No. 5 Daniil Medvedev vs Grigor Dimitrov, while on the women’s side, Serena Williams faces Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic takes on Bianca Andreescu.

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Original Article Published at The Jerusalem Post

When the going gets tough, the coach stays calm. Even during a heart-breaking loss for Yshai Oliel in the junior boys’ doubles semifinals at the US Open, coach Jan Pochter appeared relaxed.

Pochter accompanied the 16-year-old Israeli tennis player to New York for his week of juniors’ singles and doubles play at the US Open.

Pochter sat in the stands and maintained eye contact with Oliel.

Pochter studied each point Oliel played in his singles and doubles matches. Pochter will bring his thoughtful analysis and insight back to Israel and use it in his work to help bring him to the next level of play.

During their week in New York, Pochter watched Oliel come back from one set down in both the first and second rounds, even taking out the tournament’s second seed.

Pochter calmly watched Oliel receive a medical timeout to treat his leg early in his third round singles loss to No. 13 seed Nicola Kuhn.

And Pocther calmly watched as Oliel won two pulse-raising doubles matches in a super tiebreaker.

Fridays’ later afternoon doubles semifinals match against Juan Carlos Manuel Aguilar of Bolivia and Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves of Brazil was the ultimate testament to Pochter’s calm demeanor.

The doubles teams battled to a 4-4 tie in the first set on the way to a 6-4 Oliel/Bergs win.

In the second set, Oliel and Bergs’ 3-2 lead faded as their opponents battled back to a 6-6 tie, and crushed Oliel and Bergs 7-1 in the tiebreaker.

Pochter never flinched. Even trailing in the 10-point super tiebreaker 5-0, then 6-0, then 7-0, Pochter’s only response was a reassuring, “Fight ’til the end.” The end was near.

Aguilar and Alves won 10-2 to advance to the finals. Oliel, who won this year’s Roland Garros junior doubles title in June, left New York for Israel late Saturday night.

Pochter was doing double duty at this year’s US Open.

He also filled in for coach Tzipi Obziler. Oblizer was unable to coach Israeli junior girls’ player, Shelly Krolitzky through her two doubles qualifying matches and her US Open main draw singles and doubles matches.

Krolitzky returned to Israel on Friday.

For a coach, tournaments like the US Open are learning opportunities.

“The tournament was a good experience for Yshai,” said Pochter. “I think he learned that he needs to get stronger physically and mentally and to improve all parts of his game. If he does, he has a chance to become a very good player. We look forward to him playing on the professional level. I think he can do it.”

Pochter was impressed with Yshai’s performance and partially credits the Israeli and Jewish crowd who consistently filled the stands.

“The US Open is one of the best places to play. The atmosphere is amazing.”

Oliel, the tall, hard hitting left-hander with solid ground strokes and serve, showed the New York crowd how much potential he has.

Unlike the biblical Samson, who lost his strength after his hair was cut, Oliel seems to get only stronger post coiffing.

And Yshai’s motives for cutting his signature long hair were more earnest than in the Samson story.

“I cut it because one of my sister’s told me it is too long and I need to be more like a man. I donated it for children with cancer,” said Oliel.

Yshai is the youngest of five Oliel children.

While coach Pochter may have some specific areas for Oliel to focus on, he is not likely to address an area in need of improvement which was very obvious to members of the media. The sweet, modest player of humble roots could use some media training.

After he took out No. 2 seed and spoke to The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz journalists, another four writers, including US Open staff reporters, requested a press conference.

While Oliel was pleasant and cooperative, and his English was quite good, he didn’t have much to offer. He answered all questions, but didn’t elaborate, share or come across as full of life and great stories.

A trusted writer colleague present at the interview shared: “He could use some media coaching.”

Oliel will likely continue on a path of tennis success and will represent Israel tennis and Israel in many venues around the world.

The David Squad, ITA and various top coaches are working on his game.

I would love to see English speakers with media training reach out to Yshai and volunteer to help him get to the next level.”

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