Israel are strong favourites to beat Slovenia in the Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 in Tel Aviv starting today, despite the absence of Jonathan Erlich.
Erlich has undergone surgery after injuring a knee during the last point of his quarter-final victory at Wimbledon.
Having lost to Romania in March, Israel must beat Slovenia to avoid relegation.
The task has been made easier by the absence of Slovenia’s top two stars Blaz Rola (101) and Blaz Kavcic (130), which leaves Grega Zemlja (301) as their top player.
Israel will rely on Dudi Sela (90) and Amir Weintraub, who has recovered from a groin injury sustained in last year’s Davis Cup victory in Slovenia that has sidelined him for most of the year. Weintraub and Sela will team up for the doubles.
Erlich will be out of action for six weeks and will miss the US Open, but he will be in Tel Aviv to lend support to the team.
"I want to thank everyone for the marvellous backing and love I received at Wimbledon,” he said.
"It really warms my heart. I’ll be making every effort to assist the team in any way I can off the court so that we can win this vital tie.”
Erlich and Philipp Petzschner’s heroic run at Wimbledon ended in the semi-finals against eventual runners-up Jamie Murray and John Peer.
In his first appearance on Centre Court, Erlich played through the pain barrier and described the experience as “a dream come true”. He said: “It was amazing, very exciting, but very disappointing that I couldn’t play my best as my knee was swollen and I was in great pain."
Reflecting on his run, he said: "We had a great journey for three weeks but we always believe we can do more. It’s given me a strong feeling I’ve still got it."
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