tennis

Original Article Published On The JNS

The Abraham Accords have made a major impact on international relations in the Middle East. They are also proving an ace for Israeli tennis.

Last month, young players and coaches from the Israel Tennis & Education Centers flew to Bahrain—the nonprofit’s second trip to the island kingdom, with which Israel normalized relations in Sept. 2020.

The Abraham Accords impacted the centers (ITEC) both domestically and abroad. First, ITEC decided after the accords debuted that its vision ought to include all Israeli kids. That included Arabs in Israel, who also ought to have “the chance to be winners in life through tennis,” Erez Vider, the group’s CEO, told JNS.

ITEC enlisted Alam Ibrahem, a resident of the Druze village Sajur in northern Israel, as Arab society coordinator to launch tennis programs in Arab communities.

At first, Ibrahem was nervous about teaching tennis, but Vider assured him that other ITEC staff, including coach Ronen Morali, would handle the tennis. Ibaham’s job was to teach the ITEC leadership and staff about Arab society.

“It is win-win,” Vider told Ibrahem. “Ronen knows how to teach tennis and you know the Arab mentality.”

Working with Israeli-Arab communities builds upon ITEC’s nearly five decades of work trying to strengthen Israeli society and foster piece through the sport. The nonprofit’s approach blends tennis playing, education, mentorship and support services for more than 7,000 children each week.

The nonprofit’s programs currently reach Arab, Bedouin, Christian, Druze and Jewish kids in Arad, Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmona and Tiberias. Its Abraham’s Bridge empowers the next generation of Arabs to lead in their communities.

In a period of violence and unrest in May 2021, ITEC found its bonds were deep enough to host partners from Tayibe, one of Israel’s largest Arab cities, in its Ramat Hasharon headquarters for a day of cross-cultural discussion.

Again in Ramat Hasharon, ITEC leaders and colleagues from the Bedouin city Rahat convened in June 2021 for a partnership forum.

“The goal of Abraham’s Bridge is to help build a stronger society in Israel. At the core of that strength is human connection, which starts with our children–the next generation of leadership,” Vider told JNS. “We hope that providing children with opportunities to collaborate in a diverse setting will help nurture and celebrate new bonds that will lead to a better future for all.”

After doing some research—and with a bit of luck—Ibrahem, who had his sights set overseas, secured the phone number of Khalid Yusuf Ahmed Aljalahma, Bahrain’s ambassador in Tel Aviv. Ibrahem introduced himself and asked for a meeting.

“He visited my house with his family and children, and that’s how the relationship started—on a family level and not only in the field of tennis,” Ibrahem told JNS.

Last July, the ambassador visited ITEC headquarters. “From the first moment we met, there was an indescribable, strong click,” Ibrahem said.

“He came to Ramat Hasharon and saw Arabs from Tayibe with the Israeli flag, and Israeli kids with the Bahraini flag,” Vider said. “We are ambassadors of peace. He was emotional and impressed.”

“There is no limit to the fields in which Israel and Bahrain can build common

bridges, on which to walk together,” Aljalahma said.

The kingdom’s ambassador connected Ibrahem with the chairman of the Bahrain Tennis Association, and three months later, last October, Morali, the coach, joined an ITEC delegation to Bahrain. The group met the Bahrain Tennis Association chairman.

“They asked me to come for one week to train them for a Davis Cup event taking place in November,” Morali told JNS. “It was a very intense week, and a very productive week as well.” (The International Tennis Federation’s Davis Cup is a major team event; an Israeli team pulled off a come-from-behind victory against Latvia this month in Riga.).

The Israeli-Bahraini tennis bond has continued to yield fruitful volleys that score points.

Israeli coaches and players traveled to Bahrain last month to train with nine

local coaches, native-born Bahraini players and tennis-playing immigrants to Bahrain from the Philippines, Romania, Tunisia and Yemen.

Ido Samimiyan, 17, remains in touch with some of the new Bahraini friends he made on the trip and is excited some may visit him in Israel soon.

“They were good players and nice kids. We really bonded,” he told JNS. “We played together, ate together and played Davis Cup-style tennis.” (They spoke in English, but not about politics. Samiyan was proud of winning “by a lot,” and in awe that his new friends lived in a kingdom.)

Vider hopes ITEC will be able to offer scholarships to two Bahrani players to train in Israel.

“Sport is different from politics. You bring kids on a court, and they don’t care about color or religion,” he said. “It is amazing how fast they forget who they are playing with.”

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Original Article Published In The JP

Argentine-Jewish tennis star Diego Schwartzman shared his thoughts with The Jerusalem Post after his maiden trip to Israel for a recent tournament.

Diego Schwartzman, the highest-ranked Jewish tennis player in the world, finally made it to Israel.

He liked it so much that he can’t wait to come back and explore more.

The Argentina-born Schwartzman, 30 years old and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, is the 17th-ranked men’s player in the world. He briefly visited Israel over the past few weeks while participating in the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, which took place from September 26 to October 2. While Schwartzman did not have an opportunity to travel outside of Tel Aviv, he extensively explored the city on foot. And he loved it.

“I was surprised by Tel Aviv in a good way. I didn’t expect it to be so amazing. It is for sure one of my top-three best cities in the world.”

Diego Schwartzman

“I was surprised by Tel Aviv in a good way. I didn’t expect it to be so amazing. It is for sure one of my top-three best cities in the world,” Schwartzman shared with The Jerusalem Post via Zoom from his car in Buenos Aires.

Schwartzman, the tournament’s No. 3 seed (behind Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic) had a bye in the first round before losing to Arthur Rinderknech of France 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 and quickly returned to Argentina. He was enjoying a rare visit home where he was spending time at the mall playing games with nieces and nephews and looking forward to spending Yom Kippur with family in Buenos Aires. He planned to join them for synagogue services and break-fast.

Diego Schwartzman plays a shot against Stefanos Tsitsipas in his Laver Cup Tennis match. (credit: PETER VAN DEN BERG-USA TODAY SPORTS/VIA REUTERS)

Schwartzman’s expectations of Israel vs. reality

Schwartzman was still feeling excited and enthusiastic about his first visit to Israel.

“From what you see on TV, you expect different things,” said Schwarzman. “I walked on different days for a long time to almost every part of the city. That’s why I can tell you it’s an amazing city. There were so many amazing things – young people, so many bars, good restaurants, coffee places, green spaces like squares, and beaches – the combination of city and new and modern and old traditions. I liked the freedom of the young people and the way people live there.”

Schwartzman expected to see “more religious people” in Tel Aviv. He definitely interacted with observant Jews in Tel Aviv, but noted “some follow a religious lifestyle, but in a modern way.”

Schwartzman’s parents, Ricardo and Silvana, also visited Israel for the first time.

“My family got to go to Jerusalem. They got to take a very nice walk.”

Competing in the event definitely limited Schwartzman’s chances to be a tourist.

“I arrived Monday, on Rosh Hashanah, and you could feel Rosh Hashanah in the air – not too much was open Monday, or Tuesday or Friday or Shabbat. I had to play on Thursday.”

He has already studied the map and internet and has identified places he’d like to visit on a future visit.

“I want to come back as a tourist and visit other places. I see everything is close, like the Dead Sea and Haifa. Right now there is peace and no conflict. It is a good time to come. I will be back for sure!”

While Schwartzman – who reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 8 in the world in October 2020 – experienced an earlier-than-expected departure during the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, he was very impressed with the tournament’s organization and atmosphere.

“They did amazing work – they built the place [at Expo Tel Aviv] four days before the tournament and it was well organized.”

Schwartzman has had the greatest success on clay and would have preferred playing outdoors, in a stadium.

“It is difficult to have tournaments indoors.” He is hopeful that future tournaments will have “a bigger court one, more practice courts and maybe a bigger stadium.”

Schwartzman was pleased with the crowds and their enthusiasm in general and for him.

“Novak was there and people wanted to go see him,” said Schwartzman. “It was great to see a full stadium. The crowd was good and the support for me was amazing. I felt like I was at home. People were fighting for me.

“I had a match point and almost came back. I was not playing my best. That’s why I want to come back!”

Schwartzman had several other meaningful experiences at the Tel Aviv Watergen Open. He enjoyed seeing Israeli tennis friends, including Israel’s Davis Cup team member Edan Leshem and retired player Amir Weintraub.

“He beat me in the third round of the qualifiers at the Australian Open,” Schwartzman jokingly said of Weintraub.

Indeed, Weintraub defeated Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4 at the 2013 Australian Open qualifiers in Melbourne. Weintraub entered the main draw and lost in the second round. The two also got to know each other at the 2014 Davis Cup, when Israel played Argentina in Sunrise, Florida.

Schwartzman was also excited to learn about tournament sponsor Watergen’s products.

“The owner of Watergen showed me everything and how they take water from the air. It is crazy how this high tech keeps improving every year.”

He also had an opportunity to try playing tennis in a wheelchair with one of Israel’s all-time great wheelchair tennis players, Noam Gershony.

“I was very bad. I can’t move. I don’t know how they do it! When you try, you realize how difficult it is for them – not just to play but to move and hit how they do. It was nice to share a moment with wheelchair players.”

Schwartzman enjoyed his first taste of Israel. And he can’t wait to come back. Israel will be equally happy to welcome Schwartzman and his family back for a longer visit, and for now, will continue to take pride in his accomplishments on the court across the globe.

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Original Article Published on The JP

Aaron Krickstein’s impressive records still have not been broken.

When many of the world’s top tennis players arrive in Israel for the ATP 250 Tel Aviv Watergen Open September 26-October 2, they will likely focus on the singles and doubles draws, the one million dollars in prize money and hopefully on the historical significance of Israel for the world’s major religions.

Few players or fans are likely to know the tournament’s important place in tennis history.

Tennis legend Jimmy Connors won his final career singles title at the Tel Aviv Open in 1989. But perhaps even more significant is a record broken at the tournament in 1983 when Jewish teenager Aaron Krickstein became the youngest person to ever win an ATP tennis event.

Krickstein, now 55 and still very involved in both the tennis and Jewish worlds, won the Tel Aviv Open at the very young age of 16. Krickstein is also the youngest player ever to break the top 10, a feat he achieved at age 17.

Krickstein’s impressive records still have not been broken. Krickstein recently spoke with The Jerusalem Post from his office at the St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, where he has served as director of tennis for the past 21 years.

A tennis racket and two tennis balls on a court (credit: VLADSINGER/CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

“I still play some exhibitions, corporate events and do appearances, but I am no longer playing senior events. I am too busy with my responsibilities here.”

Aaron Krickstein

“I still play some exhibitions, corporate events and do appearances,” reported Krickstein. “But I am no longer playing senior events. I am too busy with my responsibilities here.”

Krickstein directs all tennis programs and events at St. Andrews and oversees their 14 tennis courts.

Krickstein enjoys reminiscing about what he describes as “a very good career.”

Krickstein’s background in playing tennis

Krickstein was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, began playing tennis at age six, winning the US National Under-16 championship in 1982.

After turning pro at age 16, Krickstein soon thereafter won the Tel Aviv Open in both 1983 and 1984.

“It was very exciting. That first event in Tel Aviv was very special.”

Krickstein played professionally from 1983 through 1996 and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 6 in the world in 1990.

His career, which was plagued by injuries, included winning nine tournaments and being runner-up 10 times. He also played on the United States Davis Cup team from 1985 to 1987, and in 1990. Krickstein’s wide range of injuries included stress fractures in his feet, knee and wrist issues and injuries from a 1987 car accident.

“Injuries caught me at the end. I had quite a few problems at age 28. It wasn’t supposed to happen,” lamented Krickstein, referring to what effectively became the end of his career. Though he added: “I never officially retired!” noting that he tried to come back at age 34.

Krickstein played against all of the greats of his era, including John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang and Connors. While Krickstein never won a Grand Slam tournament, he reached the semifinals of both the 1989 US Open and the 1995 Australian Open.

Perhaps his most famous match of all time took place on Labor Day at the 1991 US Open against Jimmy Connors. Krickstein was up two sets to one and was ahead 5–2 in the fifth set. He eventually lost the four hours and 41 minute match in a tiebreaker.

ESPN produced a “30 for 30” film entitled, “This is What They Want.” It is an examination of Connors’s career told through the lens of that epic Connors-Krickstein 1991 US Open match. It has become one of the most viewed matches of all time, partly as it was regularly shown at the US Open during rain delays in the era before the retractable dome.

“The US Open was my favorite Grand Slam,” Krickstein said. “I did my best there. I had some pretty big victories.”

Losing a five setter, as he did with Connors, was uncharacteristic of Krickstein. Krickstein won 27 of his 35 career matches that went to a fifth set. He was affectionately known as “Marathon Man” throughout his career for his uncanny ability to come back and win five setters after being down two sets to zero.

Krickstein and Connors hadn’t spoken much after that match. Then, Krickstein reports, “my club president asked me to reach out.”

Krickstein invited Connors to what became known as “The Reunion Match.” It took place in 2015 in front of 750 people. “[Connors] was gracious and greeted all of the members and stayed all day and all night. I waited until he had two hip replacements and was 65 to beat him.”

Krickstein won the friendly pro set 8–5.

Krickstein and his club have been supporters of Israel and have hosted benefits for ITEC, the Israel Tennis and Education Centers over the years. In 2012, the St Andrews country club community raised money and made a four-year commitment to sponsor a tennis tournament in Israel in Krickstein’s honor. The International Tennis Tournament in Honor of Aaron Krickstein took place in Israel and attracted dozens of teen players from Israel and 14 European countries.

In 2019 and 2020, Krickstein participated in Pro-Am events on the grounds of the Delray Beach Open in Florida. They were hosted by ITEC. Other Jewish tennis pros, including Anna Smashnova, Jesse Levine, and Andy Ram, also participated in the ITEC events.

Krickstein’s connection to Israel and Jewish causes are not accidental.

“For me, Jewish tradition means a lot. I have a long family line and an interesting family tree,” Krickstein proudly noted. “My grandfather comes from a long line of rabbis. There were three generations of rabbis, then my dad was a doctor, then me, a tennis player!”

Krickstein fondly recalls his visits to Israel and his years at the Tel Aviv Open.

“The Israel tournament will always have a special place for me… My mother and father came with me on that first trip to Israel in 1983. They got to enjoy the moment with me.”

Krickstein has enjoyed visiting Jerusalem, the Galilee, the Dead Sea and other “major sites” though he admits that he “doesn’t remember much from that first trip at age 16.

“I was all-in on tennis.”

Krickstein continues to follow tennis and watched the recent US Open.

“Taylor Fritz is pretty talented and Tommy Paul is very good,” he assessed. “US tennis needs someone to break through.”

Despite Krickstein’s ongoing enthusiasm for tennis, he will not be attempting a comeback at the 2022 Tel Aviv Watergen Open, which returns to Israel after a long hiatus.

The Tel Aviv Open was held from 1978 through 1981 and 1983 through 1996 in Israel. In 1990 and 1991 the tournament was known as the Riklis Classic before reverting back to its former name, the Tel Aviv Open. The tournament was scheduled to resume in Israel in 2014 but was canceled due to security concerns arising from tensions in Gaza.

This year’s Tel Aviv Watergen Open will begin on September 26 and take place at Expo Tel Aviv In northern Tel Aviv. Top-ranked participants include Novak Djokovic, winner of 21 Grand Slam singles titles, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic and Argentine-Jewish player Diego Schwartzman. The tournament will offer $1,117,930 in total prize money.

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Original Article Published on The JNS

Israeli tennis fans are in for a treat. This month, Tel Aviv hosts elite players in two international competitions.

On Sept. 16 and Sept. 17, the Shlomo Group Arena—home to the Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team and better known as the Drive-in Arena since it’s built on the grounds of what was once Israel’s only drive-in theater—will see Davis Cup action between the national men’s team and the visiting Czech Republic squad.

Then on Sept. 25 through Oct. 2, also in the city’s north, the Tel Aviv Watergen Open will grace Expo Tel Aviv, better known as the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds. The richest tennis tournament ever held in Israel will see Serb Novak Djokovic, winner of 21 Grand Slam singles titles, and Argentine Jewish player Diego Schwartzman take part. The tournament offers $1,117,930 in prize money.

The winner of the Davis Cup World Group I tie’s series of singles and doubles matches will advance to the round of 16. The Czech Republic won the two nations’ last meeting in 2018 by a score of 3-1 and led the overall series 3-1.

Israel faces stiff competition. The players on the Czech team are all in the top 222 in the world. They are Jiri Lehecka (61), Tomas Machac (126), Zdenek Kolar (149) and Dalibor Svrcina (222). Retired doubles star Jaroslav Navratil is their captain.

The Israel roster consists of Yshai Oliel (355), Daniel Cukierman (457), Edan Leshem (470) and Sahar Simon (639). Player/Capt. Jonathan (“Yoni”) Erlich is ranked 164 in the world in doubles. His illustrious career includes playing for Israel’s Davis Cup team starting in 2000, representing Israel at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and winning the Australian Open in 2008 with partner and friend Andy Ram. The 45-year-old has competed in dozens of Grand Slam tournaments and other major tournaments around the world, and is rumored to be nearing retirement.

Israel advanced to this Davis Cup round after beating South Africa 3-1 in Ashdod in March.

Serbian ace Novak Djokovic (center) will soon take to the courts in Israel. Credit: Courtesy of Tel Aviv Watergen Open.

Expect some high-quality playing

Avi Peretz, chairman of the Israel Tennis Association (ITA), knows his team faces a tough road, but he remains enthusiastic and optimistic.

“Although we have a match against an excellent team, we are not giving up. After the experience we had in Ashdod—with the wonderful support and encouragement from the crowd and with the help of the wonderful team and players we have—we will fight as always until the end!”

Erlich explains his rationale in selecting his team.

“I’m going with the squad that played against South Africa. We achieved a very beautiful victory, and the players advanced at the right moment and were committed to the team. We have a new player joining the roster for the first time, Sahar Simon, and I’m excited for him to be part of this special week, and I’m sure it will give him a lot as well. The players did all of their preparations in tournaments abroad to get in the best shape they can.

“We are going to have a very challenging week,” he continues, “and I hope the hall will be full and give us the boost we need. Tennis fans in Israel are guaranteed to experience high-quality tennis for a few weeks with both the Davis and the ATP tournament coming here.”

Just one week after the Czech team leaves Ben-Gurion International Airport, 28 singles players and 16 doubles teams will arrive for the ATP 250 Tel Aviv Watergen Open, from such countries as Serbia, Argentina, Croatia, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Finland, Brazil, Portugal and the United States.

The top player in the draw is the always colorful and somewhat controversial Djokovic, who hasn’t been permitted to play in the US Open and other top tournaments due to his refusal to comply with vaccination policies.

Other top players include Schwartzman, Croatian Marin Cilic and Austrian Dominic Thiem. Aslan Karatsev was born in Russia, made aliyah with his parents at age 3 and lived in Israel until age 12. Due to issues reportedly around funding Karatsev’s development as a tennis player in Israel, he and his father returned to Russia. The dual Israeli-Russian citizen is ranked 38 and currently plays for Russia. Playing the Tel Aviv Watergen may provide opportunities to see family in Israel.

The Tel Aviv tournament represents a homecoming of sorts. It was played from 1978 through 1981, and again from 1983 through 1996.

Amos Mansdorf, the Israeli tennis legend, made it to the final five times, winning in 1987. He is the only Israel to win the tournament.

American Jewish player Aaron Krickstein won the tournament in 1983 and 1984. To this day, he holds the record for the youngest player to ever win an ATP tournament; he was 16 years and 2 months old when he captured the title in 1983. And tennis great Jimmy Connors won his final career title at the event in 1989.

Israel Davis Cup team. Credit: Israel Tennis Association.

‘An exciting second half of the season’

Due to factors including lack of funding, an increase in the number of tournaments worldwide and ongoing conflict in the region, the tournament has been on hiatus since 1996.

Peretz, the ITA chair, notes that “we are very excited about the existence of a tournament of this magnitude in Israel. It is another step in bringing tennis back to the forefront as part of the vision of the ITA. This is a wonderful opportunity for all tennis lovers in Israel to watch first-class tennis players up close and enjoy a great tennis experience. We thank the Watergen company and especially (its president), Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, who for years has been contributing and helping to promote tennis in Israel.”

Alison Lee, executive vice president of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)’s International Group is similarly pleased. “We’re excited to see the ATP Tour return to Tel Aviv this year. Introducing single-year tournaments to the calendar has been an opportunity for ATP to take tennis to new markets, and it’s incredibly encouraging to have great cities like Tel Aviv step up to host an event.”

She says “this shows strong interest in tennis internationally and validates the agile approach we’ve taken. We would like to thank the organizers for making this return possible and building on the city’s rich tennis history. The event will play an important role in delivering an exciting second half of the season for our fans.”

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