However, Israel champion rower Fridman said nerves were to blame for him losing the Henley Royal Regatta last week. Fridman, 26, was the first Israeli to compete in the Diamond Sculls competition but lost in the first round to Australian rower Nick Purnell.
He said: "It was not a good competition for me. I've beaten Nick before in the European Championships but I think on the day he was better.
"You have so many people watching you the nerves and excitement just took over. It is the first time I've done the Regatta, it is a hard race and I did not have enough time to train."
But he added that just to participate in the event had been special. "To take part even though I didn't win was just amazing. I saw thousands and thousands of people cheering me on. The atmosphere is amazing and you don't see that anywhere else in any other competition. I loved every second of it I was just looking around."
Mr Fridman trains at the Daniel Marcus Rowing centre in Tel Aviv which is home to the Israeli national rowing team.
He said: “They will make sure I’m ready next year and do better, maybe I will even try some of the strawberries and cream people keep telling me about."
Rubin may not have tried the culinary delights at Wimbledon, but he did receive a congratulatory message from John McEnroe after his sensational run. "It was almost surreal, but hopefully it will kick in over the next couple of days," he said.
Asked whether his victory would change his stance on going to college, he said: "It is a great feeling to be out here winning the tournament, but this doesn't change anything. That said, I learnt a lot of things this week - just believe in yourself and never give up."
As for his new trophy, he said: "I think I'm going to leave it at home. I don't trust those college kids up there."
Additional reporting by Laura Stadler
