How to win a grand slam, by a kosher hero

It is almost 57 years to the day that Dick Savitt won Wimbledon. In doing so he remains the only Jewish player to have won the men’s singles title.

Since then, Israeli Andy Ram has won the mixed doubles while Jesse Levine won the junior doubles crown in 2005. But Savitt is in a league of his own and, considered by experts to be the greatest baseline player of his generation, he reached the heights without having a single tennis lesson in his 12-year career.

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No split for Israeli duo

Israeli doubles stars Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram have dismissed speculation of an impending split after their exit from Wimbledon this week.

Erlich, 31, was said to be considering taking time out from tennis after the Olympics when his first child is due to be born. Some reports have suggested increasing tensions with Ram, 28, implying that he will team up with another Israeli, Harel Levy, for the US Open in August.

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Furious Peer blames umpire after womens’ double defeat

Shahar Peer criticised the umpire after her fourth round womens’ doubles defeat, claiming an incorrect decision in the second set proved costly for her and partner Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Peer and Azarenka were playing against world number ones Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the quarter-final.

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Doubles stars savour finest victory

Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich described their first round victory in the men’s doubles as their finest hour after completing a stunning comeback in a match played over two days, writes Danny Caro.

An upset looked on the cards when the third seeds lost the first two sets 6-4 against Americans David Martin and Scott Lipsky on Monday.

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Levy glad to go home

Harel Levy was in philosophical mood after he and American partner Jim Thomas suffered a straight sets defeat in the first round of the men’s doubles.

Playing on court 10, the pair lost 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 against Serbian duo Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki. The match finished in disappointing fashion as Levy lost his last service game to love.

The Israeli has failed to pass the second round in the singles at any grand slam this year and also failed to make it through the Wimbledon qualifiers in the singles.

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Little Levine walking tall

Standing 5ft 9 inches, Jesse Levine hardly cuts an imposing figure. But what the 20-year-old lacks in height, he more than makes up for with a big heart and a decent amount of talent.

The left-hand baseliner has fond memories of Wimbledon where he won the junior doubles title in 2005. His route to his first singles tournament at the event was somewhat tougher as the 21-year-old made the first round draw via four qualifying matches.

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Rejuvenated Peer bounces back in style

Shahar Peer returned to form with her first victory in four tournaments but she did it the hard way against England’s Katie O’Brien.

The 24th seed found herself 1-3 down in the first set and 0-5 down in the second, but managed to battle back in both, much to the disappointment of the home crowd. Reflecting on her win, Peer admitted her concentration had dropped on occasions and she was not satisfied with her play.

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Cracks over China as Sela slams selectors

Dudi Sela has taken a swipe at the Israeli sporting establishment following his omission from the country’s Olympic delegation for the Beijing Games.

Sela needed to survive the early stages at Wimbledon in order to earn a late reprieve, having dropped down the world rankings.

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It's Game on for Sela

Eyal Berkovic is set to become the new manager of Israel’s Under 17 team.

Now 36, Berkovic won 82 caps for Israel during a career that took him from Maccabi Haifa to Southampton, West Ham, Celtic, Blackburn, Manchester City, Portsmouth and finished at Maccabi Tel Aviv in May, 2006.

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Patched-up Levy gets second chance after qualifying woe

Wimbledon ended before it started for crestfallen Israeli star Harel Levy whose hopes of making the main draw were dashed in the first round of the singles qualifying tournament in Roehampton.

Ranked 30 in the world in 2001, Levy had claimed the scalps of Pete Sampras in his prime but he was forced to try to qualify because his world ranking of 159 was too low for direct entry. He lost 6-2, 7-5 to Frederic Niemeyer, Canada’s world No 237.

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