Israel's Rising Stars Look To Follow Sela's Footsteps

This week’s Ra’anana Challenger in Israel is not only an opportunity for local fans to watch top-ranked Israeli player and No. 2 seed Dudi Sela, but to also get a chance to watch the future of Israeli tennis in action.

Sela has been the top singles player in Israel for nearly a decade and won his 20th Challenger singles title last week, but could soon be joined by an emerging crop of new players in action this week in Ra’anana. Two of the country’s top teenagers, Edan Leshem and Tal Goldengoren (both age 19), received main draw wild cards, giving them the opportunity to square off against Sela and Israeli No. 2 Amir Weintraub in first-round matches on Wednesday.

READ: Sela Joins ’20 Titles Club’ In Shenzhen

“Tournaments like ours offer young tennis players the chance to earn ranking points and experience. It’s very important for Israel to host such competitions,” said Shlomo Glickstein, former World No. 22 and the current CEO of the Israel Tennis Association. “They attract sponsors, media and give our young players role models to look up to.”

Leshem put up a valiant effort before losing to Weintraub in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Meanwhile, Goldengoren struck plenty of impressive winners before losing to Sela, 6-2, 6-2. But for Goldengoren, the chance to square off against a player whose career he hopes to emulate is priceless.

“Dudi is an inspiration to me. He’s a role model to the younger generation and always does everything with such grace and modesty,” said Goldengoren. “He’s had amazing results over the years even though he’s had to deal with players who are physically bigger than him.”

Leshem also praised Sela for being a role model. Having competed alongside the World No. 84 in two Davis Cup ties, he said that Sela has become an unofficial mentor and given him advice that has proven invaluable.

“Since entering the Davis Cup team, I’ve tried to learn from his behavior and even occasionally gotten help from him on and off the court,” said Leshem. “He’s an inspiration for young players in Israel and makes us believe we can get there as well.”

Those sentiments were also echoed by Daniel Cukierman, a 20-year-old main draw wild card recipient. Although he lost his opening match on Tuesday to No. 1 seed Evgeny Donskoy, he said the experience of competing in Ra’anana has inspired him to continue working hard in the hopes of achieving a career comparable to Sela’s.

“I admired Dudi even as a child,” said Cukerman. “My goal is to reach the level of his game and possess the fighting spirit he has.”