Andreas "Andy" Ram (Hebrew: אנדי רם; born April 10, 1980) is a retired Israeli professional tennis player. He was primarily a doubles player, and competed in three Olympics.

Andy Ram
Andy Ram in 2013.
Full nameAndy Ram
Country (sports) Israel
ResidenceTel Aviv, Israel
Born (1980-04-10) April 10, 1980 (age 43)
Montevideo, Uruguay
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro1998
Retired2014
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$ 2,647,616
Singles
Career record4–13
Career titles0
Highest rankingNo. 187 (14 August 2000)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQ3 (2005)
French OpenQ1 (2001, 2003)
Wimbledon1R (2004)
US OpenQ2 (2001)
Doubles
Career record331–233
Career titles19
Highest rankingNo. 5 (7 July 2008)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2008)
French OpenSF (2010)
WimbledonSF (2003)
US OpenSF (2009)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsF (2009)
Olympic GamesQF (2004, 2012)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenF (2009)
French OpenW (2007)
WimbledonW (2006)
US OpenSF (2005)
Team competitions
Davis CupSF (2009)
Last updated on: 3 June 2021.

He is the first Israeli tennis player to win a senior Grand Slam event. Ram first won the mixed doubles title at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, together with Vera Zvonareva. He then won the mixed doubles title at the 2007 French Open with Nathalie Dechy, and the men's doubles title at the 2008 Australian Open with Jonathan Erlich.

Ram attained his highest doubles ranking of World No. 5 in July 2008. He reached 36 doubles finals and won 20 of them through 2013, mostly with partner Jonathan Erlich; together, they are known in Israel as "AndiYoni". His Davis Cup doubles record, as of 2018, was 20–7.

In May 2014 he announced his retirement, to take effect after Israel's Davis Cup tie in September. In April 2015, Ram, CEO of Pulse Play, announced his new startup – wearable technology and an app for amateur tennis players around the world.

Early and personal life edit

Ram was born Andreas Ram in Montevideo, Uruguay, and is Jewish.[1][2][3] His father Amiram, a former professional football player for Beitar Jerusalem in the 1950s, was Israeli. After his father was injured he was sent to Uruguay on "shlihut" ("outreach"), and it was there that he met Ram's mother, who is Uruguayan. She is a dental specialist for children.[4] He has an older brother and a younger sister. They moved to Jerusalem when he was five, which is when he began playing tennis.[5][6] "It was tough at the beginning because I couldn't speak the language, and was fighting with people in the kindergarten who didn't understand me", said Ram. "My parents decided to send me to the tennis center not long after we arrived."[6]

He married his wife Shiri in September 2006, and they have 3 children.[4] The family lives in Tel Aviv. [7] Ram is a fan of the football team Beitar Jerusalem.[8][7]

Tennis career edit

Early years of tennis edit

"I really enjoyed playing tennis, because when I was six or seven years old and winning tournaments it felt good", said Ram. "From when I was 8 or 10 I knew it was going to be a career for me. It's a tennis life so it wasn't so easy. You have to give up many things. When all my friends were playing outside I had to practice. I didn't go to all the school trips. But I was focused from a very young age. I grew up practicing at the Jerusalem tennis center. I spent most of my childhood there, practicing five days a week. I never regretted it and I enjoyed every moment. Now I am reaping the rewards."[6]

 
Ram/Erlich at the 2008 Gerry Weber Open

Ram was trained by Ronen Moralli at the Israel Tennis Centers in Jerusalem. When he was 15 he was sent to the Wingate Institute, where young Israeli athletes are groomed to become professionals.[9] "It wasn't easy being far away from your family", Ram remembers, "but you know it is going to be your profession and that's what you are going to try to do for life. You practice twice a day and fit in school in between."[6] He became a professional tennis player in 1996, at the age of 16, but did not compete in a Grand Slam tournament until 2001 when he appeared in the Wimbledon doubles with Erlich.[10] It was at Wingate that he first met Jonathan Erlich, his future doubles partner who was also born in South America.

2002 edit

In 2002 Ram was injured, and did not play because he had knee surgery and back surgery. He was on crutches for two months, could not walk, and considered giving up tennis.[6]

2003 edit

In 2003 Ram won the doubles title at the RCA Championship with Croatian Mario Ančić.[11]

With partner Jonathan Erlich, his groundbreaking achievement was their reaching the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships in 2003 as unknown qualifiers. They defeated three seeded opponents en route to the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, in a match in which neither side broke service, Ram and Erlich defeated No. 2 seeded Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in straight sets: 7–6, 7–6, 7–6. In the semis, Ram and Erlich – the first Israelis to ever advance to the semifinals in any Grand Slam event – lost to the defending Wimbledon champions, Jonas Björkman and Todd Woodbridge.[12]

Ram reached the 2003 Wimbledon mixed doubles final with Anastassia Rodionova of Russia. The couple lost to tennis legend Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes.[13]

Ram felt at that point that he had to choose whether to focus on doubles or singles, as he felt it would be tough to combine the two. He chose to concentrate on doubles.[6]

Ram and Erlich then won the Thailand Open in September and the Lyon tournament in October 2003. They also won first place in Indianapolis, Istanbul, India, Rotterdam, and Milan.[4]

2004 edit

Ram competed in the mixed doubles event at the 2004 French Open with partner Petra Mandula of Hungary, and made it as far as the quarterfinals where they lost to Daniela Hantuchová and doubles ace Todd Woodbridge.[14] Ram and Erlich were triumphant yet again in the Lyon International Series tournament in October 2004. They defeated Jonas Björkman and Radek Štěpánek in the final with a 7–6, 6–2 victory.[4]

2005 edit

In the 2005 Australian Open Ram paired up with Conchita Martínez of Spain in the mixed doubles event. Martinez and Ram pulled off an impressive coup in the quarterfinals, beating top seeds Daniel Nestor and Rennae Stubbs 7–5, 6–7, 7–6. They fell in the semifinals to Aussie pair Scott Draper and Samantha Stosur 7–5, 6–3.[15]

Ram and Erlich won their fourth major tournament in Rotterdam in February 2005, beating Czechs Cyril Suk and Pavel Vízner for the honors. They missed the 2005 French Open grand slam tournament, as Ram's father had died as he was preparing to fly to France.

In August 2005, playing singles he defeated world # 56 Ricardo Mello of Brazil 6–1, 6–4, at the New Haven International.

Ram and Erlich played in the mixed doubles competition in Wimbledon 2005. They faced Kevin Ullyett and Liezel Huber in the quarterfinals, and were eliminated 6–4, 3–6, 8–6.[4] They reached 8th place in the doubles race ranking at the end of 2005, and served as alternates at the Masters Cup in Shanghai.

2007 edit

 
Ram with his mixed doubles partner at the US Open, 2007.

At the 2007 French Open, Ram, along with his partner, Nathalie Dechy, won the Mixed doubles competition.[16] Ram and Dechy teamed up together again to compete in the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the third round to 9th-ranked Marcin Matkowski and Cara Black 6–3, 6–4.[17]

At Cincinnati, at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, in August he and Erlich won, upsetting the world # 1 Bryan brothers in the final 4–6, 6–3, 13–11.[18] At the US Open, he played doubles with Erlich, losing in the round of 16 to the eventual winners Simon Aspelin and Julian Simon 5–7, 6–7. In mixed doubles with Nathalie Dechy he made it to the quarter-finals.[4]

2008 edit

At the 2008 Australian Open Ram and Erlich won the men's doubles Championship in straight sets over Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra 7–5, 7–6. This was the duo's first Grand Slam win after numerous ATP titles, and was also Israel's first ever Grand Slam trophy in men's doubles.[19] The duo also won the Masters Series event at Indian Wells, California by defeating the team of Nestor and Zimonic in the finals. After Erlich's injury, Ram was playing with other partners and won indoor titles in Vienna (with Max Mirnyi) and Lyon (with Llodra).[4]

2009 edit

At the 2009 Australian Open Ram and Nathalie Dechy, unseeded at the start of the tournament, defeated two seeded pairs and reached the finals, where they lost to another unseeded pair, Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi from India, 3–6, 1–6.[20] Later Ram won the Miami Masters tournament with Mirnyi after reaching finals in the Indian Wells Masters. Ram partnered Erlich once again at Israel Open ATP Challenger tournament in Ramat HaSharon in May, but after losing in the final he announced his decision to keep partnering with Mirnyi until the end of 2009 season (with the exception of a Davis Cup match against Russia, where he would partner with Erlich).[21]

2010–2014 edit

He partnered with Julian Knowle for the 2010 French Open. They reached the semi-finals, which was the best result for either player at the French Open.[4]

In 2011, Ram and Erlich won both the 2011 Winston-Salem Open and the Eastbourne International tournament.[22]

In May 2012, Ram and Erlich won the Serbia Open in Belgrade.[23]

In May 2014, at age 34, he announced his retirement, to take effect after Israel's Davis Cup tie in September.[24]

Significant finals edit

Grand Slam finals edit

Doubles: 1 (1 title) edit

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 2008 Australian Open Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Arnaud Clément
  Michaël Llodra
7–5, 7–6(7–4)

Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups) edit

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2003 Wimbledon Grass   Anastasia Rodionova   Martina Navratilova
  Leander Paes
3–6, 3–6
Win 2006 Wimbledon Grass   Vera Zvonareva   Venus Williams
  Bob Bryan
6–3, 6–2
Win 2007 French Open Clay   Nathalie Dechy   Katarina Srebotnik
  Nenad Zimonjić
7–5, 6–3
Loss 2009 Australian Open Hard   Nathalie Dechy   Sania Mirza
  Mahesh Bhupathi
3–6, 1–6

ATP career finals edit

Doubles: 37 (19 titles, 18 runner-ups) edit

Legend
Grand Slam tournaments (1–0)
Tennis Masters Cup /
ATP World Tour Finals (0–1)
ATP Masters Series /
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (3–7)
ATP International Series Gold /
ATP World Tour 500 Series (2–3)
ATP International Series /
ATP World Tour 250 Series (13–7)
Titles by surface
Hard (12–17)
Clay (1–1)
Grass (3–0)
Carpet (3–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (12–11)
Indoor (7–7)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Jul 2003 Indianapolis Tennis Championships, US International Hard   Mario Ančić   Diego Ayala
  Robby Ginepri
2–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–5
Win 2–0 Sep 2003 Thailand Open, Thailand International Hard (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Andrew Kratzmann
  Jarkko Nieminen
6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Win 3–0 Oct 2003 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France International Carpet (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Julien Benneteau
  Nicolas Mahut
6–1, 6–3
Loss 3–1 Jan 2004 Chennai Open, India International Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Rafael Nadal
  Tommy Robredo
6–7(3–7), 6–4, 3–6
Loss 3–2 Feb 2004 Rotterdam Open, Netherlands Intl. Gold Hard (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Paul Hanley
  Radek Štěpánek
7–5, 6–7(5–7), 5–7
Win 4–2 Oct 2004 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France (2) International Carpet (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Jonas Björkman
  Radek Štěpánek
7–6(7–2), 6–2
Win 5–2 Feb 2005 Rotterdam Open, Netherlands Intl. Gold Hard (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Cyril Suk
  Pavel Vízner
6–4, 4–6, 6–3
Win 6–2 Jun 2005 Nottingham Open, UK International Grass   Jonathan Erlich   Simon Aspelin
  Todd Perry
4–6, 6–3, 7–5
Loss 6–3 Jul 2005 Los Angeles Open, US International Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Rick Leach
  Brian MacPhie
3–6, 4–6
Loss 6–4 Aug 2005 Canadian Open, Canada Masters Series Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Wayne Black
  Kevin Ullyett
7–6(7–5), 3–6, 0–6
Loss 6–5 Oct 2005 Thailand Open, Thailand International Hard (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Paul Hanley
  Leander Paes
6–5(7–5), 1–6, 2–6
Loss 6–6 Oct 2005 Vienna Open, Austria Intl. Gold Hard (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
3–5, 4–5(4–7)
Win 7–6 Jan 2006 Adelaide International, Australia International Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Paul Hanley
  Kevin Ullyett
7–6(7–4), 7–6(12–10)
Loss 7–7 Feb 2006 Rotterdam Open, Netherlands Intl. Gold Hard (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Paul Hanley
  Kevin Ullyett
6–7(4–7), 6–7(2–7)
Loss 7–8 May 2006 Italian Open, Italy Masters Series Clay   Jonathan Erlich   Mark Knowles
  Daniel Nestor
4–6, 7–5, [11–13]
Win 8–8 Jun 2006 Nottingham Open, UK (2) International Grass   Jonathan Erlich   Igor Kunitsyn
  Dmitry Tursunov
6–3, 6–2
Win 9–8 Aug 2006 Connecticut Open, US International Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Mariusz Fyrstenberg
  Marcin Matkowski
6–3, 6–3
Win 10–8 Oct 2006 Thailand Open, Thailand (2) International Hard (i)   Jonathan Erlich   Andy Murray
  Jamie Murray
6–2, 2–6, [10–4]
Loss 10–9 Mar 2007 Las Vegas Open, US International Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–7(6–8), 2–6
Loss 10–10 Mar 2007 Indian Wells Masters, US Masters Series Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Martin Damm
  Leander Paes
4–6, 4–6
Loss 10–11 Aug 2007 Washington Open, US International Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–7(5–7), 6–3, [7–10]
Win 11–11 Aug 2007 Cincinnati Masters, US Masters Series Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
4–6, 6–3, [13–11]
Win 12–11 Jan 2008 Australian Open, Australia Grand Slam Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Arnaud Clément
  Michaël Llodra
7–5, 7–6(7–4)
Win 13–11 Mar 2008 Indian Wells Masters, US Masters Series Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Daniel Nestor
  Nenad Zimonjić
6–4, 6–4
Loss 13–12 Aug 2008 Cincinnati Masters, US Masters Series Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–4, 6–7(2–7), [7–10]
Win 14–12 Oct 2008 Vienna Open, Austria Intl. Gold Hard (i)   Max Mirnyi   Philipp Petzschner
  Alexander Peya
6–1, 7–5
Win 15–12 Oct 2008 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France (3) International Carpet (i)   Michaël Llodra   Stephen Huss
  Ross Hutchins
6–3, 5–7, [10–8]
Loss 15–13 Feb 2009 Open 13, France 250 Series Hard (i)   Julian Knowle   Arnaud Clément
  Michaël Llodra
6–3, 3–6, [8–10]
Loss 15–14 Mar 2009 Indian Wells Masters, US Masters 1000 Hard   Max Mirnyi   Mardy Fish
  Andy Roddick
6–3, 1–6, [12–14]
Win 16–14 Apr 2009 Miami Open, US Masters 1000 Hard   Max Mirnyi   Ashley Fisher
  Stephen Huss
6–7(4–7), 6–2, [10–7]
Loss 16–15 Aug 2009 Canadian Open, Canada Masters 1000 Hard   Max Mirnyi   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Mark Knowles
4–6, 3–6
Loss 16–16 Nov 2009 ATP World Tour Finals, UK Tour Finals Hard (i)   Max Mirnyi   Bob Bryan
  Mike Bryan
6–7(5–7), 3–6
Loss 16–17 Nov 2010 Paris Masters, France Masters 1000 Hard (i)   Mark Knowles   Mahesh Bhupathi
  Max Mirnyi
5–7, 5–7
Win 17–17 Jun 2011 Eastbourne International, UK 250 Series Grass   Jonathan Erlich   Grigor Dimitrov
  Andreas Seppi
6–3, 6–3
Win 18–17 Aug 2011 Winston-Salem Open, US 250 Series Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Christopher Kas
  Alexander Peya
7–6(7–2), 6–4
Loss 18–18 Jan 2012 Chennai Open, India 250 Series Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Leander Paes
  Janko Tipsarević
4–6, 4–6
Win 19–18 May 2012 Serbia Open, Serbia 250 Series Clay   Jonathan Erlich   Martin Emmrich
  Andreas Siljeström
4–6, 6–2, [10–6]

ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals edit

Singles: 7 (4–3) edit

Legend
ATP Challenger (1–3)
ITF Futures (3–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (3–2)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (1–1)
Carpet (0–0)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Jul 1999 Turkey F3, Istanbul Futures Hard   Raviv Weidenfeld 6–4, 6–2
Win 2–0 Jan 2000 India F3, Madras Futures Hard   Ladislav Švarc 6–4, 6–3
Loss 2–1 Feb 2000 Calcutta, India Challenger Grass   Tuomas Ketola 3–6, 1–6
Win 3–1 Jul 2000 Bristol, United Kingdom Challenger Grass   Julian Knowle 6–3, 6–3
Loss 3–2 Aug 2001 Gramado, Brazil Challenger Hard   Barry Cowan 6–2, 4–6, 3–6
Loss 3–3 Aug 2001 Bronx, United States Challenger Hard   Björn Phau 2–6, 4–6
Win 4–3 Mar 2006 Israel F2, Ra'anana Futures Hard   Clément Morel 6–3, 3–6, 6–3

Doubles: 33 (23–10) edit

Legend
ATP Challenger (16–6)
ITF Futures (7–4)
Finals by surface
Hard (17–8)
Clay (2–1)
Grass (2–0)
Carpet (2–1)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Jul 1998 Greece F6, Veria Futures Hard   Michael Kogan   Markus Menzler
  Patrick Sommer
0–6, 4–6
Loss 0–2 Jul 1999 Turkey F3, Istanbul Futures Hard   Emin Ağayev   Aisam Qureshi
  Dmitriy Tomashevich
6–7, 4–6
Win 1–2 Sep 1999 Turkey F6, Antalya Futures Clay   Amir Hadad   Vladimir Platenik
  Martin Hromec
6–4, 6–4
Loss 1–3 Oct 1999 Uzbekistan F4, Fergana Futures Hard   Stefano Galvani   Lior Dahan
  Kris Goossens
5–7, 6–7
Win 2–3 Oct 1999 Uzbekistan F5, Karshi Futures Hard   Stefano Galvani   Tomáš Čatár
  Branislav Sekáč
6–4, 7–6
Win 3–3 Jan 2000 India F2, Bangalore Futures Clay   Nir Welgreen   Aisam Qureshi
  Miles Maclagan
2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win 4–3 Jan 2000 India F3, Madras Futures Hard   Nir Welgreen   Boris Borgula
  Ladislav Švarc
6–4, 5–7, 6–4
Win 5–3 Feb 2000 Calcutta, India Challenger Grass   Nir Welgreen   Guillaume Marx
  Gregory Carraz
2–1 ret.
Loss 5–4 Mar 2000 France F6, Douai Futures Carpet   Lovro Zovko   Gilles Elseneer
  Arnaud Fontaine
1–6, 4–6
Loss 5–5 Jun 2000 Denver, United States Challenger Hard   Noam Behr   Jonathan Erlich
  Lior Mor
4–6, 7–5, 2–6
Win 6–5 Jul 2000 Manchester, United Kingdom Challenger Grass   Dejan Petrovic   Yves Allegro
  Ivo Heuberger
6–2, 7–6(7–1)
Win 7–5 Jul 2000 Córdoba, Spain Challenger Hard   Dejan Petrovic   Óscar Burrieza López
  Daniel Melo
6–1, 6–4
Win 8–5 Jan 2001 USA F2, Delray Beach Futures Hard   Noam Behr   Lovro Zovko
  Andrej Kračman
6–4, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4)
Loss 8–6 May 2001 Prague, Czech Republic Challenger Clay   Noam Behr   Michal Navrátil
  Jaroslav Levinský
3–6, 1–6
Win 9–6 Jul 2001 Campos do Jordão, Brazil Challenger Hard   Dejan Petrovic   Adriano Ferreira
  Daniel Melo
6–3, 6–4
Win 10–6 Aug 2001 Belo Horizonte, Brazil Challenger Hard   Dejan Petrovic   Barry Cowan
  Eric Taino
6–3, 6–4
Win 11–6 Aug 2001 Gramado, Brazil Challenger Hard   Dejan Petrovic   Adriano Ferreira
  Daniel Melo
6–4, 6–4
Win 12–6 Oct 2001 Grenoble, France Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Paul Rosner
  Glenn Weiner
6–4, 3–6, 7–6(7–4)
Win 13–6 Nov 2001 Puebla, Mexico Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Marco Chiudinelli
  Tuomas Ketola
6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–1
Win 14–6 Dec 2001 Costa Rica Challenger Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Daniel Melo
  Dušan Vemić
6–3, 6–3
Loss 14–7 Feb 2002 Brest, France Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Ben Ellwood
  Stephen Huss
1–6, 4–6
Loss 14–8 Jan 2003 São Paulo, Brazil Challenger Hard   Ignacio Hirigoyen   Federico Browne
  Rogier Wassen
6–7(0–7), 6–7(3–7)
Win 15–8 Feb 2003 Great Britain F2, Nottingham Futures Carpet   Mark Hilton   Jonathan Erlich
  Harel Levy
7–6(9–7), 6–2
Win 16–8 Mar 2003 Kyoto, Japan Challenger Carpet   Amir Hadad   Jan Hájek
  Jimmy Wang
3–6, 6–3, 6–1
Win 17–8 Apr 2003 Greece F1, Syros Futures Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Marco Chiudinelli
  Uros Vico
6–3, 3–6, 6–3
Loss 17–9 May 2003 New Delhi, India Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Radoslav Lukaev
  Dmitry Vlasov
6–7(6–8), 6–4, 2–6
Win 18–9 Aug 2003 Binghamton, United States Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Myles Wakefield
  Stephen Huss
6–4, 6–3
Win 19–9 Sep 2003 Istanbul, Turkey Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Harel Levy
  Amir Hadad
7–6(7–5), 7–6(8–6)
Win 20–9 Jul 2008 Ramat HaSharon, Israel Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Mikhail Elgin
  Sergey Bubka
6–3, 7–6(7–3)
Loss 20–10 Mar 2009 Ramat HaSharon, Israel Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   George Bastl
  Chris Guccione
5–7, 6–7(6–8)
Win 21–10 May 2010 Ramat HaSharon, Israel Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Alexander Peya
  Simon Stadler
6–4, 6–3
Win 22–10 Aug 2013 Vancouver, Canada Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   James Cerretani
  Adil Shamasdin
6–1, 6–4
Win 23–10 Aug 2013 Aptos, United States Challenger Hard   Jonathan Erlich   Matt Reid
  Chris Guccione
6–3, 6–7(6–8), [10–2]

Junior Grand Slam finals edit

Doubles: 2 (2 runner-ups) edit

Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1998 Wimbledon Grass   Michaël Llodra   Roger Federer
  Olivier Rochus
4–6, 4–6
Loss 1998 US Open Hard   Lovro Zovko   KJ Hippensteel
  David Martin
7–6, 6–7, 2–6

Performance timelines edit

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles edit

Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A Q1 A A Q3 0 / 0 0–0  – 
French Open A Q1 A Q1 A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Wimbledon Q2 Q2 A Q3 1R A 0 / 1 0–1 0%
US Open Q1 Q2 A Q1 A A 0 / 0 0–0  – 
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 0 / 1 0–1 0%

Doubles edit

Tournament 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R A 2R 3R 2R 3R W 2R 1R 2R 1R A 1R 1 / 11 13–10 57%
French Open A A A 3R A 2R 3R 3R 1R SF 1R 2R 2R A 0 / 9 13–9 59%
Wimbledon 2R A SF 1R 3R 3R 2R QF 3R 3R 1R 2R 1R A 0 / 12 17–12 59%
US Open 1R A 1R 1R QF 3R 3R 2R SF 1R 2R 2R 2R A 0 / 12 15–12 56%
Win–loss 1–2 0–1 4–2 3–4 5–3 6–4 7–4 12–3 7–4 6–4 2–4 3–4 2–3 0–1 1 / 44 58–43 57%
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells A A A 2R 2R 1R F W F QF 2R A A A 1 / 8 17–7 71%
Miami A A A 2R QF SF 1R 1R W 1R QF A A A 1 / 8 13–7 65%
Monte Carlo A A A 2R A 2R 2R QF QF 1R 1R A A A 0 / 7 2–7 22%
Rome A A A 1R 1R F 2R 2R QF 1R A A A A 0 / 7 4–7 36%
Madrid (Stuttgart) A A A 1R 1R QF 1R 1R 2R QF 1R A A A 0 / 8 3–8 27%
Canada A A A QF F 2R SF 2R F 2R A A A A 0 / 7 10–7 59%
Cincinnati A A A QF 1R SF W F 2R QF A A A A 1 / 7 13–6 68%
Shanghai Not Held 2R 1R A A A A 0 / 2 1–2 33%
Paris A A A A QF 1R 1R QF 2R F 1R A A A 0 / 7 6–7 46%
Hamburg A A A 1R 1R QF SF 2R NM1 0 / 5 3–5 38%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 6–8 8–8 10–9 11–8 10–8 15–8 8–9 3–5 0–0 0–0 0–0 3 / 66 71–63 53%
Year End Ranking 103 494 31 32 15 13 18 5 9 23 51 53 113 1429

Mixed doubles edit

Tournament 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 SR W–L Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A 1R SF 2R 1R SF F QF QF 2R A 0 /9 16–9 64%
French Open A QF A SF W 1R QF 2R 1R A A 1 / 7 13–6 68%
Wimbledon F 3R 3R W 3R QF 1R 2R 3R 3R 2R 1 / 11 19–10 66%
US Open A 1R SF 1R QF 1R A 2R A A A 0 / 6 5–6 45%
Win–loss 5–1 4–4 7–3 9–3 7–3 5–4 6–3 4–4 3–3 2–2 1–1 2 / 33 53–31 63%

Davis Cup edit

 
Ram in 2013

Ram played on the Israel Davis Cup team in 2001–09, going 14–8 through July 2009. In 2007 he won two matches in Israel's 5–0 win over Luxembourg, and he won his doubles matches in Israel's 3–2 wins over Italy and over Chile (in which he and Erlich defeated Olympic gold medal winners González and Massú). In 2008, Ram and Erlich won their doubles match against Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt in Israel's 3–2 loss to Sweden in the World group, and then Ram partnering Harel Levy defeated the Peruvian duo Mauricio Echazú/Matias Silva on the way to Israel's 4–1 victory, granting Israel a place in the World Group for the next season. In March 2009, partnering Amir Hadad, Ram lost in Malmö to the same Swedish pair he defeated a year earlier, but the Israeli team won 3–2 overall and proceeded to the World Group quarterfinal.[25]

Israel (ranked 8th in the Davis Cup standings, with 5,394 points) hosted heavily favored Russia (which won in both 2002 and 2006, and was the top-ranked country in Davis Cup standings, with 27,897 points) in a Davis Cup quarterfinal tie in July 2009, on indoor hard courts at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv.[26] Israel was represented by Ram, Erlich, Dudi Sela, and Harel Levy. Russia's lineup consisted of Marat Safin (# 24 in the world; former world # 1), Igor Andreev (26), Igor Kunitsyn (35), and Mikhail Youzhny (44; former world # 8).[27][28] The stage was set by Safin, who prior to the tie told the press: "With all due respect, Israel was lucky to get to the quarterfinals."[29] The Israeli team's response was to beat the Russian team in each of their first three matches, thereby winning the tie. Levy, world # 210, beat Russia's top player, Andreev, world # 24, 6–4, 6–2, 4–6, 6–2 in the opening match. Sela (# 33) followed by beating Russian Youzhny 3–6, 6–1, 6–0, 7–5. Israeli captain Eyal Ran likened his players to two fighter jets on court, saying: "I felt as if I had two F-16s out there today, they played amazingly well." The 10,500 spectators were the largest crowd ever for a tennis match in Israel.[30] The next day Ram and Erlich beat Safin and Kunitsyn 6–3, 6–4, 6–7, 4–6, 6–4 in front of a boisterous crowd of over 10,000.[31] "I started to cry like a little boy", said Ram.[32] Even the Saudi Gazette described the doubles match as a "thrilling" win.[33] Captain Ran was carried shoulder-high around the Tel Aviv stadium, as the 10,000-strong crowd applauded.[34] With the tie clinched for Israel, the reverse singles rubbers were "dead", and instead of best-of-five matches, best-of-three sets were played, with the outcomes of little to no importance.[35] Israel wrapped up a 4–1 victory over Russia, as Levy defeated Kunitsyn 6–4, 4–6, 7–6, while Sela retired with a wrist injury while down 3–4 in the first set against Andreev.[36] Israel next faced the Spanish Davis Cup team in Marbella, Spain on September 18–20, in Israel's first appearance in the Davis Cup semifinals.[37] Spain won a 4–1 victory over Israel.

Olympics edit

Erlich and Ram represented Israel at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and reached the quarterfinals. Ranked 8th overall, in the 1st round they defeated Thomas Enqvist and Robin Söderling of Sweden 7–5, 6–3, and then beat Russians Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko in the 2nd round 6–4, 6–1. In the quarterfinals they were defeated by Germans Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schüttler in three sets, 6–2, 2–6, 2–6.

They also represented Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, where they lost to the French team of Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra in the first round, and at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where they were beaten by the Bryan brothers in the quarter-final.[38]

They then represented Israel at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, where they defeated Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, before losing to the Bryan brothers, who won the gold medal.[24]

Award edit

Ram was awarded the inaugural Jerusalem Athlete of the Year award in 2006.[6]

Business venture after tennis career edit

In April 2015, Ram, co-founder and CEO of Pulse Play, announced his new startup – wearable technology and an app for amateur tennis players around the world.[39][40] It is a smartwatch designed to handle intense and animated tennis, table tennis, badminton, and squash.[41] It operates in real time and connects to the cloud, so users can find nearby opponents, see how they rank against other players worldwide, and track their improvement.[41] Ram raised money initially in crowd-funding on Indiegogo.[41]

See also edit

References edit

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  2. ^ "Jewish players stop in New Haven on the way to U.S. Open". Jewish Ledger. August 27, 2008. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009.
  3. ^ Blas, Howard (August 30, 2006). "Fans cheer on Israeli players at Pilot Pen". Jewish Ledger. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
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  10. ^ "Serving up success", The Jerusalem Post
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  24. ^ a b "Davis Cup – Israeli doubles star Andy Ram announces retirement". www.daviscup.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  25. ^ "Players". daviscup.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  26. ^ "Levy wins to give Israel shock lead". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  27. ^ "Nadal officially left off Spain's Davis Cup roster – USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
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External links edit