Israeli tennis ace misses out in epic Wimbledon final – Jewish News

Israeli tennis ace Guy Sasson has set his sights on winning gold at the Paralympics after narrowing missing out on a debut victory at Wimbledon.

The 44-year-old and his British partner Andy Lapthorne lost out to the number 1 seeded Sam Schroder and Niels Vink in an epic 6-3 6-7, 3-6 contest in the quad doubles final at SW19.

It came just a day after the Israeli was narrowly defeated by Schroder in the semi final of the singles – a reverse of the result in the last Grand Slam at Roland Garros which he had dedicated to the hostages in Gaza.

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But defeat didn’t prevent the world number three from chanting ‘Am Y’Israel Chai’ – the people of Israel live – during an on-court interview after the doubles loss.

“It was close,” he later told Jewish News. “We did more than others expected us to. We didn’t go all the way this time but I hope next year we’ll sit here with the trophy.

“Wimbledon is a dream come true. It doesn’t get any bigger, it’s such an honour to be here. It’s something I hope my four kids will remember and when they grow up will tell their kids they were here at Wimbledon with their dad and will feel proud.”

After comfortably taking the first set, the British/Israeli pair went 3-0 down in the second before drawing level and then forcing a tie-break which they lost 7-3. The With the momentum behind them, the Dutch duo were dominant in the decider, with Schroder seemingly invincible at the net.

Having risen to the number three ranking in both singles and doubles, Sasson is  currently one of Israel’s most successful sporting figures on the world stage and was asked to the star in a new El Al commercial which shows him competing around the globe.

Wearing a ‘bring them home’ dog tag in support of Israel’s hostages, the player said: “This symbolises so much for the people of Israel. I wear it every time I compete especially abroad in big tournaments where the media and thousands of fan come to watch. It’s bigger than sport. When I finished a match and stepped outside the stadium a guy approached me and said ‘I listened to what you said. ‘Am Y’Israel Chai’. He came with his own and he was almost crying. I’m very proud to wear it.”

Paris will be his second Paralympics but his first in the quad category – and he’s clear it’s his priority for 2024. “The Paralympics mean so much to the people of Israel,” he said. “You don’t come with your own clothes and your own sponsors. You come with clothes with the flag of Israel and you play for the country. It’s probably the biggest and greatest honour there can be. I like the clay and think I have a good chance. I’m gong for the gold medal.”

The chance to win and hear the national anthem would be a dream for Sasson, who added: “We need it with these dark times we’re experiencing now.”

His daughters Amit, 11, and Shai, 8, said the best thing about having a tennis champion dad is “you can get in everywhere and skip every line. You feel special. Plus you can brag about him and he gets us lots of presents from the tournaments.

“We’re really proud of him. You made to the finals, you got second place. There’s always next year”.