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Last update - 09:12 29/06/2009
Israel's Dudi Sela out to make history at Wimbledon
By Nir Wolf
Tags: wimbledon, dudi sela, tennis 

Toward the end of last season, when Dudi Sela slipped down the world tennis rankings to 117th place, he faced two options. He was advised to forgo his year-end vacation and play a series of three challenger tournaments, so he could return to the top 100 and qualify for the Australian Open. But Sela chose door number two - to return to Israel for a month of training and work on his weaknesses; it was during this time that he changed his stance and serve while working closely with his coach, Yoram Menahem.

"Many would have opted for the challengers and the safe money," explains Sela's brother, Ofer, "but Dudi was very confident in his decision, and looking back he really matured with it. His career looks different now."

In Australia, Sela's work began paying off. He had to pass three preliminary rounds and sailed through them all. He then beat Rainer Schuettler - then ranked number 31 in the world - in the first round, ousted number 44 Victor Hanescu of Romania, and took one set from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before being ousted by the Frenchman.
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Five months later, and Sela is about to become the first Israeli to reach a Grand Slam men's singles quarterfinal - since Amos Mansdorf did it in 1992 in the Australian Open - when he meets world number four Novak Djokovic today. No Israeli has even made the fourth round since Mansdorf's feat until Sela reached it with Friday's win.

"It all started in Beijing [in the 2008 China Open]," says his brother, who left Israel yesterday for London to see Sela play Djokovic. "Dudi reached the final and realized he had it. He beat top-30 players day after day, and in the end left disappointed because he felt he could have beaten [Andy] Roddick. It was the first time he proved he was no paper tiger but one who can dish it out to everyone. He always knew he had the potential, but suddenly he understood how to fulfill it."

Sela has borne that potential from a young age, when he was ranked third in the world as a youth, which only upped the expectations of him. However, his transition to the adult ranks was rocky. In 2007, ranked 212, he proposed to his childhood friend Yoav Shav, who had just decided to hang up his racket, to accompany him to Russia and help train him. Over the course of three tournaments, Sela jumped more than 100 places.

"Once his confidence returned we could work on specific elements," says Shav. "He improved his serves and instead of trying to get the ball in as hard as possible, Dudi concentrated on getting his serves in at a high rate."

These serves will play a significant role against Djokovic. On paper few give Sela a chance, and betting agencies give him odds of more than 8-to-1. Still, it is a confident Sela who will come to court three, where the stands are close by, and entry is free, meaning there will be lots of Israeli fans. "In Israel, they've been waiting a long time for someone to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the singles," says Sela.

"On the court it's all a matter of fate. It's very hard to win if you draw a player like [Ivo] Karlovic, who serves very hard. But Djokovic is a different player, who has already won a Grand Slam and is ranked fourth in the world. I'll do my best to surprise him."

Shav added: "I only hope the festival and all the surrounding pressure won't distract him and get him out of focus. Expectations of him are growing, but luckily Dudi is the kind of player who actually gets a boost from the pressure and the noise, and it motivates him and pushes him forward."
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