tennis

VALERIE GLOZMAN – the daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish father and a Taiwanese mother – has played in the qualifying events of both women and junior events at the US Open for the past two years. (photo credit: HOWARD BLAS)

Original Article On The Jerusalem Post

Glozman’s successful year continued when the then No. 2 ranked player in the country won the prestigious FILA Easter Bowl tournament.

For most American high school students, the end of August means back-to-school shopping for clothes and supplies. For 16-year-old Valerie Glozman, it also means navigating the many aspects of playing in the US Open Tennis Championships.

The articulate, good-natured tennis player from Bellevue, Washington, had the rare distinction of playing in the women’s qualifying draw and the junior’s draw – for two years in a row. And without a coach or parents with her for much of the time, Glozman has a lot to figure out on her own. Fortunately, the sensible, smiley teen is very resourceful.

“I love to play here; It is so great for my learning. I don’t get so many experiences at such a high level”

Valerie Glozman

“I love being independent,” Glozman reported in the media garden at the US Open following a tough second round loss in the juniors tournament.

“You learn how to take care of yourself. You learn a lot when you have to take care of things on your own because you make some mistakes here and there – for example, I have to find a good time to go to sleep, to get up, and to take the shuttle [bus from the hotel in Manhattan to the tennis center in Queens, NY]. And you learn from your matches if you give yourself enough time [to sleep]. I am really looking forward to college in that sense.”

Glozman will play tennis at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. First, Glozman needs to finish high school.

ISRAELI TEEN Liam Oved both won their first matches at US Open juniors qualifying before bowing out in second round. (credit: LEO STOLCK)

Celebrities of tomorrow are unknown today

Glozman is one of the dozens of tennis players at the US Open who remain virtually unknown to most outside of a small group of fans who follow junior tennis. She and many other young players may represent the future of professional tennis, though it is a long road from the juniors to earning a living on the professional tennis circuit. Glozman may get there one day.

Last year, the then 15-year-old received a wild card when she was runner up at the US National Junior Hard Court Championships. At last year’s US Open, she lost in the second round of the women’s qualifiers and in the second round of the juniors’ tournament. Two months later, Glozman helped the US win the junior Billie Jean King Cup championship over the Czech Republic.

Glozman’s successful year continued when the then No. 2 ranked player in the country won the prestigious FILA Easter Bowl tournament. She was seeded No. 1 and captured the title for the second year in a row.

Still, Glozman was not guaranteed a slot in this year’s US Open womens’ qualifying draw. She was encouraged to apply for a wildcard given her recent successes.

“I was so grateful when I found out I got in, I started to cry!” Glozman told The Jerusalem Post. “I love to play here; It is so great for my learning. I don’t get so many experiences at such a high level.”

At this year’s US Open women’s qualifying tournament, Glozman won her first-round match against Olga Govortsova of Belarus. She then lost her second-round match against 32nd seed Marina Bassols Ribera of Spain, 6-7 6-3 6-1.

In the junior’s tournament, Glozman won her first two rounds in straight sets before losing her third round match in three sets to 11th seed Anastasiia Gureva, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 under the blazing heat.

Her match with Gureva took place in the 93-degree heat. Down 5-4 in the final set, she began to feel sick and she was given electrolytes.

“I felt quite nauseous.  I never played in this weather. I am used to playing indoors in Seattle!”

Glozman has learned a great deal from her trips to the US Open.

“I learned that I need to improve my serve and return of serve,” she notes. “My serve is a big separator [from those with big serves].

She noted that she felt even with Gureva in rallies.

“But she has an amazing serve!”

Glozman has also learned an important lesson from 21-year-old University of North Carolina tennis player Fiona Crowley, who won three matches in the women’s qualifiers to gain a spot in the main draw.

“We became friends in the qualifiers. She is so positive and bubbly and just enjoys competing out there.  She gets further that way and just has a good time.“  

She always pays tribute to her family.

“My mom is here at the US Open and is so supportive. My dad [who has been her longtime coach] follows the scores on his laptop.”  

“I know I am causing them a little stress out there, but I am really grateful to my parents who are super invested in me,” she laughed.  

Her sister, Vivian, 23, played college tennis at the University of California and at the University of Virginia.

“She currently plays pickleball full time” noted Valerie, “I have obviously learned a lot from her.”

Glozman, the daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish father and a Taiwanese mother, has only one slight critique of her parents. When asked if she will be home to celebrate the upcoming Jewish holidays, she shared: “I have actually always wanted to be part of that, but my family is not super big into holidays. They have nothing against it but they are just a little lazy with that stuff. I love cultural holidays and I do spend time with my friends enjoying all types of cultures.”

Perhaps will have opportunities to explore both her Jewish and Taiwanese heritages when she embarks on her Stanford career next year. 

Read more

ISRAELI TEEN Liam Oved both won their first matches at US Open juniors qualifying before bowing out in the second round (photo credit: LEO STOLCK)

Original Article On The Jerusalem Post

As the men’s and women’s singles and doubles draws of the US Open proceed at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, a very different US Open is taking place at the Cary Leeds Tennis Center in Corona Park in the Bronx.

A determined group of teenagers is waiting for their matches to get under way in the US Open Juniors Championships Qualifying Competition.

Two Israel players – Mika Buchnik, 16, and Liam Oved, 18 – need to win two matches to advance to the juniors main draw, which will be played at the actual US Open.

The Israelis wait patiently indoors. Oved, icing an elevated leg, appears deep in thought, though she periodically looks up at her coach, Tom Baten, out to the courts and back to her phone to the US Open app so she will have an idea of when she will begin to play.

At a nearby table, Buchnik sits next to her coach, former Israeli tennis great Dudi Sela. She stares out the window watching a match in progress – until Sela gets her up to begin stretching and warming up for her match, the third on Court 8.

ISRAELI TEENS Mika Buchnik (left) and Liam Oved both won their first matches at US Open juniors qualifying before bowing out in the second round (credit: HOWARD BLAS)

ISRAELI TEENS Mika Buchnik (left) and Liam Oved both won their first matches at US Open juniors qualifying before bowing out in second round (credit: HOWARD BLAS)

Except for Guy Sasson, scheduled to compete in the quads wheelchair tournament, Liam and Mika are Israel’s only hope for representation in this year’s US Open. If the girls can win two matches in two days, they would enter the juniors’ main draw.

Buchnik, the tournament’s second seed, is currently No. 44 in the world. She grew up playing atIsrael Tennis and Education Centers (ITEC) in Israel and has been working with Sela and Yoav Ben Tzvi at the Dudi Sela Tennis Academy for a year. It has been a busy, successful year of playing tournaments around the world.

In January, Buchnik reached the finals at a junior’s tournament in San Jose, Costa Rica and reached the quarterfinals at a tournament in Ecuador one week later. She has also played in tournaments in Thailand, Great Britain and Germany including the Wimbledon qualifying draw.

In July, Buchnik lost in the finals at a tournament in Durban, South Africa, and made the quarterfinals at another Durban tournament one week later. She made it to the third round of a tournament in College Park, Maryland before arriving in New York.

Buchnik describes her own playing style as “mostly aggressive and staying back (at the baseline.”

She attends the Lady Davis School in Tel Aviv which she notes can be difficult given her tennis schedule.

“It is hard but my teachers help me.”

Oved, the No. 9 seed, has followed a very different tennis route from Buchnik. Oved is currently ranked 75th in the world, though she has reached as high as 61.

In many ways, Oved is fairly unknown, even among Israeli tennis fans. This may be attributed to her modest nature, to the fact that she left Israel several years ago to train in Belgium, to the fact that she has never been part of Israel’s formal tennis player development system.

Her Belgian coach Baten, refers to her as a “late bloomer,” noting that she continues to grow and develop mentally and physically and that her game continues to improve.

Baten, who has coached such players as Belgian Greet Minnen (who defeated Venus Williams in Round 1 of this year’s US Open), enjoys working with Oved.

“She is passionate, she has fire, she is a warrior and a competitor on the court. She is also respectful, knows her values and is very open. I want her to be a complete player.”

While Baten has never been to Israel, he is looking forward to working with her in Israel for two weeks this fall.

The good natured, well-spoken Oved is in many ways an “accidental tennis player.” She grew up in Kfar Shmaryahu near Herzliya with her sights on gymnastics and dance.

“When I was eight years old, a friend’s mother was starting a tennis program near our house and didn’t have enough players. She asked the whole class if we want to play and told us we could play for free,” recounts Oved.

Oved began playing tennis and enjoying it, though she adds laughing – “I didn’t know who Shahar Peer or Serena Williams were, and I didn’t even know how to count score.”

As she began to show promise, her parents asked her if she wished to devote more time to tennis – even if it meant cutting back or even giving up dancing and gymnastics. She worked with a series of coaches and the rest is history.

Oved’s tennis journey includes working with coach Oded Yatzkan.

“It was me and seven boys at Kfar Saba Yeruka. I had the best time.The level was so high. I was like a princess!”

She began playing tournaments in Israel and in Europe.

“It was not enough. I needed more. We realized I was 14 and needed more than Israel could offer. I felt limited in Israel. I love Israel. It is my country and my people. I thought about going to an academy alone in Canada, but it was unrealistic. I was 14 and it was the other side of the world.”

As the family considered options, they thought of Belgium.

Liam and her sisters moved to Belgium and her father remained in Israel.

At one point, her family returned to Israel for a month and she was forced to take her bike 40 minutes each way – twice a day – for tennis practice.

“My legs got so big, I couldn’t move on the court!”

When her mother returned to Belgium, Oved got more settled. She began playing at the Justine Henin Tennis Academy.

“From the first practice, I knew this was my place!”

After training at Henin for a year and a half, she moved on.

“I was 18 and started traveling on my own. It was the best decision I ever made.”

Oved, like Buchnik, has had a busy and successful year competing in tournaments around the world. She reached the second round in tournaments in San Jose and Ecuador and reached the quarterfinals at a tournament in Baranquilla, Colombia, in February.

Oved played additional tournaments in Egypt, Italy, Bulgaria, German, Belgium and England and Switzerland. Oved lost in the second round of the Wimbledon qualifying tournament.

Oved and Buchnik’s parents did not come to New York for the US Open qualifying tournament. They were able to follow each point live on the US Open app.

Both young women took to the courts for their first-round matches late afternoon last Thursday.

Few parents were in attendance. Coaches were permitted on court, and more than 50 college tennis coaches wandered the grounds watching prospective recruits in action.

Buchnik defeated Japan’s Nao Nishino 7-6, 4-6 and 10-6 in a super tiebreaker in her first-round match. A top college tennis coach, speaking on condition of anonymity, watched the whole match and noted: “Mika has a beautiful game. Her topspin groundstrokes are efficient with long hitting zones. It’s nice to see a young player with good fundamentals.”

Coach Dudi Sela was pleased.

“She is a very hard worker and very disciplined. Now, we will work on being more aggressive and on return of serve.”

Sela noted that players currently play fewer tournaments per year than he and his peers did when they were Mika’s age.

“We will put in effort in improving – I see her doing what I tell her to do and she is improving all the time!”

Oved defeated Anastasiia Firman of the Ukraine 7-6, 6-0 in the first round of the US Open qualifying tournament.

“I hope to keep going! I need to be aggressive, have a good first serve and most of all, have the right mindset!” Oved reported on court after her first match.

Sadly, Buchnik and Oved lost in their second-round matches – Jessica Bernales of the USA defeated Buchnik 7-6, 6-4, while Olivia Center of the USA defeated Oved 7-6, 6-2.

Read more

THE WRITER (left) runs into retired Israel tennis legend Andy Ram (right) grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York this week. (photo credit: HOWARD BLAS)

Original Article On The Jerusalem Post

What do you do post retirement when your job WAS playing in the US Open?

When tennis lovers retire from their jobs, they often choose to play more tennis to help overcome the inevitable boredom and isolation which often comes from no longer being surrounded by fellow workers.

They may even travel to some bucket-list tournaments such as the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the French Open or the US Open. But what do you do post retirement when your job WAS playing in the US Open?

For Israeli professional tennis players who spent many hot August days and late nights playing under the lights in Queens in front of large, raucous, Israeli flag waving crowds, the famed tournament still holds an important place – and they think about the tournament each August.

Shlomo Glickstein, now 65, was Israel’s most accomplished tennis player in the 1980s. He reached a career high ranking of 22 in singles (1982) and was No. 28 in doubles (1986). While he beat some of the world’s greats, including No. 1 Ivan Lendl and such top 10 players as Harold Solomon and Eliot Teltscher, he will never forget a US Open match in 1985 that he considers to be one of the most important matches of his life.

“One match could have changed my whole career,” Glickstein reported. “I played McEnroe in the first round in 1985. I wasn’t meant to come. My wife was due with our first baby. I was at a German league match and found out I was playing in the US Open!” He noted that he came to the US on a Saturday, and that it rained Sunday and Monday. “I played Tuesday with no practice. It was an unbelievable match. I lost in five to McEnroe – I was up 2 sets to 1. It was my most exciting and most important match ever. It could have gotten me back in the top 100.” Glickstein still recalls the match vividly 38 years later.

Andy Ram at US Open practice 2009 (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Andy Ram at US Open practice 2009 (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

In an August 28, 1985 New York Times article entitled, “McEnroe Barely Survives First-Round Match,” writer Peter Alfano writes of the four-hour match between the defending US Open champion and No. 175 ranked Glickstein: “With crowd behind him chanting ‘Shlomo, Shlomo, Shlomo,’ Glickstein nearly pulled off what would have been one of the most spectacular upsets in Open history. McEnroe would go on to lose in the finals to Ivan Lendl.”

Glickstein retired from tennis in 1988 and served as CEO of the Israel Tennis Association.

“For the first few years after retiring 35 years ago, I used to be into the US Open. It is still in my blood and nice to remember playing on the biggest stage. I went a few times and met a few friends.”

Glickstein reports that he worked at a New Jersey Y camp in the US for several years and he worked for the ITA (Israel Tennis Association) for 12 years. He served as CEO from 2007-2012 and was professional director during his last year there. He is now working privately in the tennis world and is coaching a few players.

Shahar Peer, 36, who played in the US Open for over a decade as both a junior and a professional, actually went to the US Open last year as a spectator, with her husband.

“I am pretty casual about it when the US Open comes,” said Peer, who currently lives with her husband, who is completing a medical fellowship, and two young children. “I don’t miss it. I had enough of tennis, I guess – the pressure, the commitment, everything around it! And I really enjoy my life now. All is good.”

Peer reached the US Open Juniors semifinals in 2004, and played her first US Open womens’ qualifiers that same year, where she advanced to the second round. She played in the US Open every year from 2005-2015, reaching the quarterfinals in 2007. Peer reached her best singles ranking of No. 11, the highest of any Israeli tennis player in history, in January 2011. She achieve a doubles ranking of No. 14 in 2008.

In contrast to Peer, fellow Israeli women’s player, Julia Glushko acknowledged: “I do miss it – a lot! I don’t feel sad at all – I’m very thankful for everything tennis gave me and for the opportunity to play the best game in the world.”

Glushko participated in every US Open from 2011 through 2019, with the exception of 2017. She played in the qualifiers for four years and played in the main draw four times. Glushko’s biggest success at the US Open was in 2014 when she reached the third round before losing to Daniela Hantuchova in a third set tiebreaker.

Glushko, who retired in 2019, that she does “miss competition though and funny enough, when I think of tennis, I think of the US Open most of the time. It is my favorite Slam and I’ve always done well there.”

Glusko playfully noted that when she “saw that Caroline [Wozniacki] was coming back to playing, it made me think that maybe I can do the same? I don’t think I will, but it definitely gets you thinking.”

Glushko will attend the 2023 to support her good friend Australian Pricilla Hon, No. 207, who is in the qualifying tournament.

While Amir Hadad, 45, may not be as well known as other Israeli tennis players, a single act one summer at the US Open lives on in tennis history.

“I still remember that famous summer of 2002 like it was yesterday. It was the one-year anniversary of 9/11,” Hadad recounts, referring to the time he teamed up at the US Open to play doubles with Pakistani Muslim player Aisam al Quershi.

The doubles team made it to the third round, where it lost to Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett, both of Zimbabwe. Hadad also advanced to the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles, which he played with Petra Mandula of Hungary. That year, Hadad also advanced to the final round of the singles qualifiers.

“I love New York and the US Open. It is always great to be there to play. The last experience was a very big one. There was a lot of buzz around us. There was some good tennis and it was a special one for sure!”

While Hadad last played professionally in 2010, he continues to be in touch with friends from his playing days, including Indian doubles player Rohan Bopanna, 43, who is still competing professionally. He is also “still interested and very much involved in tennis.”

The father of two teaches and coaches in Tel Aviv and “watches all of the US Open – singles, doubles, all!”

Dudi Sela, a long time US Open favorite of Jewish and Israeli fans due to his good nature and stunning late-night battles on court, gives himself mixed reviews for his performance here, but praises the fans.

“I miss a lot playing the Grand Slams – the pressure and the excitement before the match, and of course the feeling of winning a match. Although I didn’t have much success in New York, I have a lot of friends in the city. I love the atmosphere on the courts and the Jewish people coming out to support the Israelis. I am lucky I found something that I like doing and I am still in tennis coaching.”

Sela will be on hand at the Open coaching Israeli junior Mika Buchnik, the 43rd-ranked junior in the world. The 16-year-old phenom trains at the Dudi Sela Tennis Academy and will be competing in the girls’ qualifying tournament. “I really want to help the younger generation in Israel to fulfill their potential and be much better players,” Sela adds.

Israeli tennis star ‘doesn’t miss’ travel and work of competitions

Andy Ram, half of the beloved Israeli doubles team of Ram and [Yoni] Erlich, hopes to spend some time at this year’s US Open.

“The US Open is a nice place to come. It is the biggest event in the tennis world. I am always excited to come as a spectator and to remember I was part of it. But I don’t miss the travel, the efforts. Watching it on TV and enjoying it and thinking I was part of it in the past is a nice feeling,” Ram noted. The 43-year-old retired from professional tennis in 2014.

Ram has kept busy since retiring. He spends time with his three children – ages 12, 8 and 4 – he owns three (soon to be six!) ice cream stores throughout Israel, he is a public speaker, and he works with an Israeli businessman as a consultant.

Ram continues to be involved in tennis as well.

“I am still close with Yoni. We talk every day and I am helping him with ITEC [Israel Tennis and Education Centers]. While he is not competing professionally, the US Open is on his mind. Ram jokes: “I still have a chance to win it – it is the only Slam I did not win!”

Ram’s Grand Slam accomplishments are far too numerous to mention. He won the Australian Open in doubles in 2008 with Erlich, and he won the mixed doubles at both Wimbledon (2006, with Vera Zvonareva) and the French Open (2007 with Nathalie Dechy). Ram and partner, Max Mirinyi, lost in the 2009 semifinals in Flushing Meadows.

Jonathan “Yoni” Ehrlich, 45, the other half of the Ram/Ehrlich team, recently retired from a decade’s long and distinguished tennis career. In addition to winning the 2008 Australian Open with life-long friend, Ram, he won 22 tournaments and attained a world doubles ranking of No. 5 in 2008. He also represented Israel at the Davis Cup and in the Olympics on many occasions.

While Erlich is not planning to attend this year’s US Open, he may be in a good position to assure Israelis will soon make it to the big stage. He recently joined Israel Tennis & Education Centers as Director of the High-Performance Program. He acknowledges: “We had had no great Israeli players in the last 20-25 years,” and says, “My focus these past six months has been on how to rebuild – coaches, players and the program.”

“My biggest challenge is to help create the next generation of Israeli professional tennis players.”

When Erlich is successful, we look forward to see him cheering on Israeli juniors and pros – from the coaches’ box at the US Open.

Read more

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.

Read more