Andy Ram is the new rising star of Israeli tennis. A virtual unknown one week ago, he began this week playing mixed doubles against Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon. And tennis star Noam Okun took top prize for doubles in the Cordoba Challenger.
Andy Ram and his mixed doubles partner, the Russian Anastassia Rodionova, lost (6:3, 6:3) to Navratilova and Leander Paes, of India, on Sunday, but reaching the mixed doubles at Wimbledon itself was an achievement for the young Israeli tennis player. “Being on Center Court on the closing day of Wimbledon is the dream of any tennis player.... For moments like that, a kid begins playing tennis,” said Ram.
Andy Ram and his compatriot Yoni Erlich also surprised tennis fans when they shot to the semifinals in men’s doubles at the end of last week. Ram is now rated at 79 in the world for doubles. The captain of Israel’s Davis Cup team, tennis star Amos Mansdorf, told reporters yesterday (Monday): “Wimbledon is the most important competition in the world, so this is a very big achievement.”
In yet another Israeli tennis achievement, Noam Okun (156 in the world) and the American Brandon Coupe defeated the Spaniards Juan Ignacio Carrasco and Albert Portas (6-4, 1-6 and 6-4) in the finals of the Open Diputacion Ciudad De Pozoblanco (Challenger series), held in Cordoba, Spain this past week.
Leading Israeli tennis players, including Okun, Ram and Erlich, are part of the Israeli team participating in the Davis Cup. The first match for Israel will be against Zimbabwe, here in Israel, beginning Friday.
Andy Ram and his mixed doubles partner, the Russian Anastassia Rodionova, lost (6:3, 6:3) to Navratilova and Leander Paes, of India, on Sunday, but reaching the mixed doubles at Wimbledon itself was an achievement for the young Israeli tennis player. “Being on Center Court on the closing day of Wimbledon is the dream of any tennis player.... For moments like that, a kid begins playing tennis,” said Ram.
Andy Ram and his compatriot Yoni Erlich also surprised tennis fans when they shot to the semifinals in men’s doubles at the end of last week. Ram is now rated at 79 in the world for doubles. The captain of Israel’s Davis Cup team, tennis star Amos Mansdorf, told reporters yesterday (Monday): “Wimbledon is the most important competition in the world, so this is a very big achievement.”
In yet another Israeli tennis achievement, Noam Okun (156 in the world) and the American Brandon Coupe defeated the Spaniards Juan Ignacio Carrasco and Albert Portas (6-4, 1-6 and 6-4) in the finals of the Open Diputacion Ciudad De Pozoblanco (Challenger series), held in Cordoba, Spain this past week.
Leading Israeli tennis players, including Okun, Ram and Erlich, are part of the Israeli team participating in the Davis Cup. The first match for Israel will be against Zimbabwe, here in Israel, beginning Friday.