For most elite wheelchair athletes, the road to the Paralympics involves years of intense physical and mental preparation. For Israeli tennis player Adam Berdichevsky, the year leading up to the recent Paris Paralympics was also a year of fighting off terrorists and multiple relocations. Despite these extraordinary challenges, Berdichevsky proudly represents his country and serves as a role model for people with disabilities on and off the court. His efforts continue to pay off.
Berdichevsky, 40, picked up wheelchair tennis after losing his left leg in a 2007 boating accident in Thailand. Berdichevsky and his then girlfriend (now wife), Hila, encountered a fierce storm. Their vessel capsized, sending both in to the rough waters. While saving Hila, Berdichevsky was reportedly sucked in to the engine, resulting in the loss of his leg.
In the years following the ordeal, the two married, Berdichevky became a mechanical engineer, and the family soon included three children. The family made their home on Kibbutz Nir Yitzchak, the same collective community where Adam grew up. Life on the kibbutz was usually tranquil, though missile threats from Hamas were not uncommon given their proximity to Gaza. Usually, the sounding of an alarm meant a short stay in the family’s safe room until the imminent threat passed.
Adam Berdichevsky and family
This all changed on October 7, 2023 when Hamas launched 4,300 rockets in to Israel and 6,000 Gazans breached the border into Israel in over 100 locations. On that day, 1,200 people were killed and approximately 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages. Israelis near the border hid and feared for their lives.
Adam and Hila Berdichevsky and their three children–ages six, eight, and ten- survived the Hamas invasion at Kibbutz Nir Yitzchak by remaining in a safe room and clutching the door handle for 14 hours to keep it shut. Once the imminent danger passed, the family then relocated to Eilat (in the south of Israel) for two months.
Berdichevsky’s friend and fellow Israeli wheelchair tennis player, Guy Sasson, had been living in Houston, Texas with his family at the time as part of his wife’s medical training. Sasson suggested that the Jewish community bring the Berdichevsky family to Houston during these difficult times. “We are so thankful to the Houston Jewish community who provided us with a home, a car and school for the children,” reports Berdichevsky. “We were very welcomed!”
Adam Berdichevsky and Guy Sasson | Photo Credit – Keren Isaacson
The family spent six months in Houston before returning to Eilat. Berdichevsky continues traveling around the world to tennis tournaments and the family is currently considering their next move, which may include returning to their adoptive community of Houston.
Berdichevsky shares, “I always loved tennis and also wanted to play a professional sport so the two naturally combined.” But he acknowledges that playing wheelchair tennis in light of recent events has presented some of the biggest mental challenges he has ever faced. “After learning that six hostages, including a former classmate, were murdered in the tunnels by Hamas, I had to compete in my Paralympic match—but it was incredibly difficult.”
This served to further motivate and inspire Berdichevsky as he played tennis for his beloved Israel in the Paris Paralympics this past September. “I cannot say how much fun it was to represent my country like this,” reports Berdichevsky after his first round wheelchair tennis win in Paris. “The win, it was the first time I played in front of a crowd like this, and it felt like I played at home – it was very special. I was very happy I could give some good times to people amid all the bad days.”
Earlier that same week, Berdichevsky served as the Israel delegations flag bearer. “The flag bearing was amazing, to walk with the whole Israel team was amazing – and everyone saw me on TV.” Berdichevsky lost his second-round match but he maintains his perspective given the ordeal he and his family survived on October 7th and the fate of so many others in his country. He observes, “It is much more important than ever to represent the country because of what happened and to be a model for all the soldiers who got injured.”
And his advice to young people with disabilities: “Play a sport, whatever it is. It would make your life much happier.”
The world’s top wheelchair athletes, including four Israelis—Adam Berdichevsky, Guy Sasson, Sergei Lysov, and Maayan Zikri—are competing fiercely at Stade Roland Garros.
CLOCKWISE FROM top left: Guy Sasson (Wheelchair Tennis), Adam Berdichevsky (Wheelchair Tennis and Flag Bearer), Maayan Zikri (Wheelchair Tennis), Sergei Lysov (Wheelchair Tennis) and Nadav Levi (Boccia).(photo credit: Meirav Cohen/Courtesy)
There will be no men’s and women’s wheelchair or quads tennis at this year’s US Open Tennis Championships—for a very good reason. The world’s best wheelchair tennis players are currently in Paris, France, competing for their countries at the Paralympics.
Every four years, the Paralympics wheelchair tournament conflicts with the US Open. (The juniors wheelchair tournament, however, will take place at the US Open at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens, New York, as planned.
Four Israelis – Adam Berdichevsky, Guy Sasson, Sergei Lysov, and Maayan Zikri – are representing Israel in the wheelchair tennis event, which got under way on Friday, and runs through September 7 on the same courts at Stade Roland Garros, home of the French Open, where Sasson recently won the French Open quads title. The Israelis are off to a great start.
On Friday, Berdichevsky, 40, who took up wheelchair tennis after losing a leg in a 2007 boating accident, defeated Luca Arca of Italy 6-2, 7-5. This was Berdichevsky’s first singles victory at the Paralympics after debuting at Tokyo 2020.
“I cannot say how much fun it was to represent my country like this. The win, it was the first time I played in front of a crowd like this, and it felt like I played at home – it was very special. I was very happy I could give some good times to people amid all the bad days.”
Iyad Shalabi of Israel reacts after winning gold. (credit: REUTERS/MOLLY DARLINGTON)
Earlier in the week, Berdichevsky served as the Israeli delegation’s flag bearer. He was pleased with his victory and reported: “The flag bearing was amazing, to walk with the whole Israel team was amazing – and everyone saw me on TV.”
He will now face Chile’s Alexander Cataldo in round two.
Sergei Lysov
Also on Friday, Sergei Lysov, 20, who was diagnosed with Perthes’ disease at age 9 and immigrated to Israel from Russia in 2019, defeated Brayan Tapia of Chile 7-5, 6-1 in his Paralympic debut.
Lysov reached a career-high ranking of No. 17 earlier this month and advanced to the second round on Sunday against the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Alfie Hewett of Great Britain. Hewett, a 9-time Grand Slam singles and 3-time Roland Garros singles champion, is appearing in his third Paralympics and handily beat Lysov 6-0, 6-1.
On Saturday, Roland Garros quad singles champion and the tournament’s No. 3 seed, Guy Sasson, won his first-round match against Francisco Cayulef of Chile 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals and then on Monday beat Gregory Slade from Great Britain 6-1, 6-2 to roll into the semifinals.
“Playing for the first time in a great stadium like that, with so many fans who came to watch us… it was a great atmosphere and a unique feeling,” said Sasson. “I had a lot of fun playing this match. Two months ago when I was here, and I was able to win Roland Garros, that gave me a lot of confidence. I love the clay here and the atmosphere. I knew that it would be a good step towards the Paralympics and here we are.”
Maayan Zikri, the only female on the Israeli team, defeated Najwa Awane of Morocco 6-3, 6-2 in her first-round match.
This is the ninth year that wheelchair tennis will be featured at the Summer Paralympic Games. The sport made its debut as a full-medal event at Barcelona 1992. The sport had previously been a demonstration event at Seoul 1988, when a men’s singles and women’s singles tournament was held. The men’s and women’s singles events have been played at every Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event since 1992, while the quad singles and doubles events have been contested since Athens 2004.
The tournament features 95 players from 28 nations. Singles matches are played as best-of-three tie-break sets, while doubles matches are played as best-of-three tie-break sets with a match tie-break as the final set. The Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event is taking place on outdoor clay courts for the second time, after being played on clay at Barcelona 1992. Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen at Stade Roland Garros both have a retractable roof, which can be closed in case of inclement weather.
Boaz Kramer, Executive Director of Israel ParaSport Center, who won the silver medal in mixed doubles quads at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, is proud of the four tennis players as well as Nadav Levi, a boccia player, who are part of their center in Ramat Gan.
“To have four wheelchair tennis players from the Israel ParaSport Center in the Paralympic Games is a dream come true. To make this dream a reality, the Israel ParaSport Center has worked for almost a decade, investing in the development of a very special and unique tennis program that honors the long legacy of wheelchair tennis excellence at our center in Ramat Gan. To see Adam, who survived October 7 with his family, as flag bearer in the) opening ceremony was an emotional moment for all of us.”
Three of the four Paralympic tennis players spoke with The Jerusalem Post from Paris as they prepared for the start of the Paralympics.
Lysov, from Russia, continues to improve his Hebrew and English speaking abilities and was unavailable for comment.
Zikri, 21, of Holon, openly and comfortably shared the story of how she lost her right foot in a water ride at an amusement park in Holland at age 10 while on a family trip celebrating her sister’s bat mitzvah. After several surgeries and rehabilitation, she took up para sports.
“Two wheelchair basketball coaches told me about basketball, spoke with my mom, and asked if I wanted to try it.”
Maayan was hesitant but trusted her mom.
“I tried it and liked it!” she exclaimed.
Zikri played competitive basketball on a boys’ basketball team for five years.
“I love the international environment,” she recounts, and was disappointed when she was no longer allowed to play on a boys’ team—and there were not enough girls to field a girls’ team. “The wheelchair basketball coach in Israel was a tennis player when he was younger and knew that I liked to travel and to compete and asked me if I wanted to try.”
Zikri traveled to Beit HaLochem in Beersheba to try tennis and was hooked. For a while, she played both sports but soon dropped basketball to focus on tennis and avoid injuries.
“Tennis is my love for now. I miss basketball but I don’t regret it.”
Zikri has quickly moved up the ranks in the tennis world since picking up a racket for the first time at age 15. She reached a No. 3 ranking in the world for juniors in 2021.
In 2022, she won her first title at the Hungarian Open Wheelchair Tennis Championship. Since then, Zikri has claimed titles in Switzerland, England, and Romania. Her most recent victory was a first-place finish at the X Open Bai De Setúbal in July 2023.
Zikri is proud to represent Israel at the Paralympics.
“It means pride, joy, happiness, and excitement. I am so proud to represent the country that I love, our nation.”
Berdichevsky accommodated an interview just before taking part in the flag-bearing ceremony.
“For me, to represent Israel, to carry the flag, and to be a representative of my country and people is really amazing. It makes me happy and proud.” He is pleased to qualify for the Paralympics again in what he describes as a “really packed year, and despite what is happening.”
Berdichevsky shared the harrowing October 7 story of survival, where his family, including his wife and three children ages six, eight, and 10, survived the Hamas invasion at Kibbutz Nir Yitzchak in a safe room for 14 hours. The family then relocated to Eilat for two months.
Fellow tennis team member Sasson, who has been living in Houston, Texas, with his family as part of his wife’s medical training, suggested that the Jewish community consider bringing the Berdichevsky family as well. Berdichevsky noted with great appreciation that his family spent six months in Houston before returning to Eilat. They are currently considering their next move, which may include returning to Houston.
“We are so thankful to the Houston Jewish community who provided us with a home, a car, and school for the children. We were very welcomed!”
While Berdichevsky felt proud to represent Israel in the 2020 Tokyo Games, he feels it is “much more important than ever to represent the country because of what happened and to be a model for all the soldiers who got injured.”
He playfully said that his strategy for this year’s Paralympics is “to win the first point and go on to the next point!”
Sasson, who spoke with the Post at last year’s US Open, again spoke from Paris prior to the start of the Paralympics. He reflected that returning to the clay courts of Roland Garros was “familiar” as he recently competed there.
Competing in the Paralympics is also familiar, though he said, “last time I competed in the other division (known as ‘wheelchairs’). Now I am in the quads” (for players with more substantial loss of function). Sasson feels there has been “a lot of expectation and it motivates me to do well here.
“I feel good and well-prepared. Hopefully, I will perform the way I want to perform.”
Like his teammates, Sasson feels there is something unique about playing for Israel now
“The whole team is very excited to represent Israel, especially in these times. It is much more than tennis. You represent Israel, and there is a lot of meaning behind it. You can feel this is very important to all of the athletes who want to do well and make people happy.”
According to Roni Bolotin, former Paralympic swimmer and head of the Israeli delegation, 27 athletes are competing in 10 events, including the team sport of goalball. Bolotin reports that he became disabled and an amputee who also suffered serious eye damage almost 50 years ago in 1968 in a minefield explosion in the Sinai while serving in the IDF. While this is his 12th Paralympics, he exclaimed that “it is still the same excitement!”
Bolotin explained why this year has important significance.
“This year, these are really special circumstances, and everybody understands the unique role and responsibility of the athletes in these special times for Israel. We understand that we really need to do our best and that our athletes serve as role models for the newly disabled who did their service in Gaza and in the north.”
“Sport can be the best tool for rehabilitation and for a full and rewarding life. Our staff is already in the rehab centers to show that sports is a way to have the best life in this situation!”
Bolotin is proud of the tennis team playing for Israel in Paris.
“They are a combination of two veteran experienced players and two new young ones. The future is before them! They are a great combination!”
Some wheelchair tennis players participating in the Paralympics will receive compensation from the US Open, despite not actually attending. According to the USTA (United States Tennis Association), it gave “players that would have been entered into the US Open via direct acceptance with a player grant to ensure that these players are receiving the equivalent of prize money as compensation.” They detail that a total of $6,244,000 has been set aside for wheelchair tennis grants, player per diems, and hotel payments. Total main draw and qualifying payments for the US Open is $75,000,000.
With names like Eataly; Fare by Chef Alex Guarnaschelli; Franks and Fries; King Souvlaki; Crabby Shack; and Korilla BBQ, tennis fans enjoyed a variety of foods at the recently concluded (August 22-September 10) Grand Slam event, while sipping drinks from Baseline Cocktails; Aperol Spritz Bar; and Heinekin Bar. The US Open even had an official drink, the Honey Deuce (Grey Goose vodka, lemonade, and raspberry liqueur).
Thanks to PKS’s (Prime Kosher Sports) Kosher Grill, kosher-food-loving tennis fans enjoyed an assortment of hot and cold kosher foods, located in close proximity to non-kosher food, as well as great tennis. If their timing was right, observant fans were also able to participate in a Mincha and Maariv minyan.
“Having kosher food at the US Open means you don’t feel excluded. You are part of the crowd,” reported Eli Feit of Brooklyn, who was attending with two grandsons and their friend Chaim Fruchter of Passaic, New Jersey.
Feit, who enjoyed the brisket sandwich, was helping count to make sure there were enough men for Mincha, which was to take place at the exit to Court 12 as a four-hour, seven-minute five-set men’s singles match was letting out. Fruchter raved about his hot dog.
AT THE US Open: Tommy Paul (US) returns a shot against Roman Safiullin (Russia) during their Men’s Singles Second Round match, in Queens, New York, Aug. 30. (credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Steven Davidson of Stamford, Connecticut, carefully held two hot dogs (one dressed in sauerkraut), wrapped in US Open monogrammed paper, as he participated in the minyan.
“Having kosher food at sporting events is pretty standard. It is nice to have a minyan when you have to say Kaddish,” he added.
Israeli David Danino, who lives in Karnei Shomron and is in the US through Sukkot as part of his job with Sukkot Depot, approached when he saw the crowd gathering for Mincha. He was racing to Court 17 to see No. 14 Tommy Paul in action versus Roman Saflullin. He planned to return to the kosher stand later in the evening for dinner. While excited about having kosher food at his first US Open, he enjoyed a kosher hot dog a few years back at a New York Knicks pre-season basketball game.
Julie Feinberg of Woodmere, New York, spoke with The Jerusalem Post as she balanced two cardboard containers of kosher sausage with peppers and onions, as well as a brisket sandwich, which she noted was “new this year.”
“I know we are spoiled New Yorkers [since kosher food is so plentiful], but having kosher food here makes the whole day easier and more enjoyable, – and you don’t get jealous of others [who don’t keep kosher] who have hundreds of choices.”
She was excited to sit and enjoy dinner before watching more tennis. “My daughter and I are starving!”
While the kosher items were tasty, they came at a price. A BBQ brisket sandwich or a hot pastrami sandwich set fans back $23, while wraps and sandwiches cost $19; Italian sausage with peppers and onions were $13.50; and a potato knish – $8.
Kosher food, and affordable too!
But for the first time in most kosher consumers’ lives, the kosher food prices were actually comparable to the prices of non-kosher food at the Open: Crispy chicken sandwich at Crown Say was $19.50; a gyro sandwich at King Soulvaki was $20, and spanakopita cost $18. The signature chicken and eggnog waffle cone at Melba’s American Comfort was a whopping $26; a single scoop of ice cream at Van Leeuwen was $9.50; and a Heineken or Amstel Light draught beer was $15. The US Open’s signature Honey Deuce was $22 – keep the glass!
ELI ARJE, in his second year operating Kosher Grill at the US Open (though there was a kosher vendor for several years before he took over), loves the opportunity to provide kosher food at this and other sports venues. “The experience is amazing. To see how many people are in and out of the venue all day is remarkable. Our line is always consistent. We serve over 2,500 products per day.”
Arje believes that all stadiums should offer kosher options, and noted that he is currently located in Maimonides Park (Brooklyn Cyclones), Citi Field (New York Mets), Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees), and Prudential Center (New Jersey Devils). “Baruch Hashem, we have [Jewsih] communities everywhere, and I think it’s so important to follow the laws of kashrut and give the Jewish fan an outlet to enjoy the full ballpark experience. We have a passion for sports, food, and seeing smiles on faces enjoying. I feel blessed that I am able to make a dream into reality. Every time I walk into a stadium, I feel like I’m a kid again, and I’m in awe of everything around me.”
Kosher consumers not willing to pay the steep prices for prepared food were able bring in sandwiches and other food items in a single-compartment drawstring knapsack or bag or they were able to enjoy small containers of kosher-certified yogurt, given out as free samples by Fage, a US Open sponsor.
Other kosher-certified, though pricey, items available throughout the grounds included bags of potato chips, popcorn, and bars of Van Leeuwen ice cream. Lavazza coffee was also on hand, along with soda and water.
The 43-year-old Sasson shared the very emotional experience of playing on such a big stage as equals with such tennis greats as US Open finalists Djokovic and Danil Medvedev.
On the same day that tennis greats Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic were battling it out against opponents in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open, other tennis greats, including Alfie Hewitt, Diede De Groot, Niels Vink, David Wagner and Israeli Guy Sasson were competing fiercely on Courts 4, 5 and 6.
These lesser-known, but similarly talented and determined, athletes competed in the expanded wheelchairs tennis events at this year’s US Open Tennis Championships. Many tennis fans and sports fans in general are unfamiliar with this highly competitive event.
Wheelchair tennis has been a part of all four Grand Slams since 2007, and at the Summer Paralympics. There are two divisions – open and quads. Quads is for players who use wheelchairs and also have loss of function in at least one upper limb.
Israel’s only tennis player in any main draw event at this year’s US Open, Guy Sasson, was recently reclassified and participated in the mens’ singles and doubles quads division. Sasson spoke with The Jerusalem Post in the media garden at the US Open following what appeared to be an easy 55-minute first-round win where defeated Tomas Masaryk of Slovakia 6-1, 6-2.
The 43-year-old Sasson shared the very emotional experience of playing on such a big stage as equals with such tennis greats as US Open finalists Djokovic and Danil Medvedev.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a forehand against Daniil Medvedev of Russia (not pictured) in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 US Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in Flushing, New York, on September 12, 2021. (credit: DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN-USA TODAY SPORTS)
“It may have looked easy but it wasn’t! This is the biggest tournament I’ve ever been in. This tournament is different since we are involved with able-bodied tennis players and they treat us as equals with the able-bodied players. We are in the same locker room. You sit in the locker room and Djokovic is coming your way and says, ‘hi, how are you doing? How did you do today?’ Or Medvedev says, ‘sorry I am in your way. Or [Frances] Tiafoe – I almost ran over Tiafoe with my wheelchair.”
Sasson was also impressed with the organization of the tournament and stressed the incredible feeling of being included as equals with world-class pros.
“The chance to do it altogether with the able-bodied – keeping in mind that there are 50,000 people inside watching – even if they are not here to watch me – is incredible.”
A long journey
It has been a long journey for Sasson who grew up non-disabled and became a reluctant wheelchair tennis player. Sasson grew up in Ramat Gan, served in the IDF, traveled after his army service and attended the University of Michigan for college. While in the US, Sasson started and sold several businesses. He returned to Israel, married Aya Mohr, and founded a real estate company.
In 2015, the father of two young children at the time, went snowboarding in France.
“I didn’t see the cliff. I fell off the cliff and hurt my spine,” Sasson recounts. “They flew me to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel, I had a big surgery on my spine and hand, and the doctors told me I won’t walk again. It didn’t sound real. Of course I will — I’ll be out of here in two weeks. It turns out, I was in a rehab hospital at Tel Hashomer for one year and did walk out – with braces and canes.
Sasson knew he would need to find something to keep physically active.
“I promised my kids I would get out of the chair,” said Sasson. His initial choice was swimming.
When Sasson viewed tennis, he met a new Israeli coach, Ofri Lankri, an Israeli professional tennis player who played on Israel’s 2014 Fed Cup team. Sasson began to quietly consider it.
The two hit it off and Sasson’s love for wheelchair tennis began to blossom.
“At first, I didn’t tell anyone – not even my wife. No one! When I started to get better, I had to tell my wife!”
Lakri, who coached Sasson during all of his US Open matches, feels similarly connected to Sasson. She is proud of his progress and has high hopes for his future.
“Guy always loved individual sports and tennis was a good fit for him. He got good quickly. He is super serious and loves the mentality of tennis”
Sasson began competing in 2007 and aspired to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games (which were rescheduled to 2021 due to COVID-19).
He reports that he began to experience some changes in his upper body and was recently reclassified for the quads wheelchair division.
Sasson is currently ranked No. 7 in the world for quads singles and 40th for doubles.
Sasson got off to a good start with his first-round win at the US Open. A few fans and family members of both players cheered on the players. Sasson’s four children – ages 13, 11, 7 and 5 – were in the first row waving mini Israel flags and calling for their “Abba.” Sasson’s parents were also there cheering.
Sasson’s wife and children did not have to make the long flight from Israel as they are spending several years in Houston Aya’s medical fellowship.
One day after his singles victory, Sasson played doubles with partner Koji Sugeno. The match was against top-seeded Sam Schroder and Niels Vink, and Sasson and Sugeno lost 3-6, 6-1, 10-6.
One day later, Sasson had one more opportunity to advance in quads singles. He lost to the world’s No. 2 seed, Schroder of the Netherlands, 7-5, 6-2.
For now, Sasson and family will return to Houston. The children are back to school, Aya is back to her fellowship and Guy will be up at 3 a.m. each morning to work with his real estate team in Israel.
From October 9-13, Sasson will have a chance to play in front of friends, family and Israeli fans at the Israel Open in Ramat Hasharon.
