Jonathan Erlich facts for kids
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| Country (sports) |  Israel |
|---|---|
| Residence | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Born | 5 April 1977 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Turned pro | 1996 |
| Retired | September 2022 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $2,810,794 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 6–6 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 292 (4 October 1999) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | Q2 (1999) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 413-346 |
| Career titles | 22 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (7 July 2008) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2008) |
| French Open | 3R (2004, 2007, 2008, 2014) |
| Wimbledon | SF (2003, 2015) |
| US Open | QF (2005) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | RR (2006, 2007) |
| Olympic Games | QF (2004, 2012) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2004) |
| French Open | 1R (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 ) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2011) |
| US Open | 2R (2007) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | SF (2009) |
Jonathan Dario "Yoni" Erlich (born April 5, 1977) is a former professional tennis player from Israel. He was especially good at doubles tennis, which is when two players team up against another pair. He won the men's doubles title at the 2008 Australian Open with his partner Andy Ram.
In July 2008, Erlich reached his highest doubles ranking, becoming world No. 5. He played in 44 doubles finals and won 22 of them. Most of his wins were with Andy Ram, and they were known in Israel as "Andyoni." By 2018, his record in the Davis Cup doubles matches was 22 wins and 12 losses.
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About Jonathan Erlich
Jonathan Erlich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When he was just one year old, his family moved to Haifa, Israel. Today, he lives in Tel Aviv and played tennis representing Israel.
Erlich started playing tennis at age three and competed in his first tournament when he was seven. He trained at the Wingate Institute, where he met Andy Ram, who would become his main doubles partner. He became a professional tennis player in 1996 when he was 19.
Erlich is a big fan of the football team Maccabi Haifa.
After he stopped playing professionally in 2022, Erlich joined the Israel Tennis & Education Centers (ITEC) in 2023. He now helps develop new tennis players across Israel, especially in areas that don't have many resources.
Jonathan's Tennis Journey
Early Career: 1996–2005
Erlich and Andy Ram first played together at the Queen's Club tournament in June 2001. In 2002, Erlich won a singles match against Adrian Voinea, who was ranked 64th in the world.
A big moment for the Israeli duo was reaching the semifinals of the Wimbledon championships in 2003. They beat top players Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. They were the first Israeli players to reach the semifinals in a Grand Slam event, which is one of the four biggest tennis tournaments.
They won the Thailand Open in September 2003 and the Grand Prix de Lyon in October 2003. They beat Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut easily in the Lyon final.
In 2004, Erlich also did well in mixed doubles at the Australian Open with Liezel Huber. They made it to the semifinals but lost to Leander Paes and Martina Navratilova.
Ram and Erlich won the Lyon tournament again in October 2004. They also won in Rotterdam in February 2005. They had to miss the French Open in 2005 because Andy Ram's father passed away. By the end of 2005, they were ranked 8th in doubles.
Major Successes: 2006–2010
Erlich and Ram won the Adelaide title in January 2006. They also won the Nottingham Open in June 2006 and the Connecticut Open in August 2006.
In August 2007, they won the Cincinnati 1000 Masters tournament. They surprised everyone by beating the world's No. 1 team, the Bryan brothers, in the final. They beat the Bryan brothers again in November 2007 at the Tennis Masters Cup in China.
Erlich and Ram won their first Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open. They beat Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra in the final. This was a huge achievement for them.
From late 2008 to mid-2009, Erlich was recovering from elbow surgery. During this time, Ram played with other partners. They reunited at the Israel Open in May 2009. Later that month, Erlich won another ATP Challenger tournament with Harel Levy.
In June 2010, Erlich teamed up with Novak Djokovic at the Queen's Club Championships and they won the title. This was Djokovic's only doubles title in his career.
Later Career and Retirement: 2021–2022
In May 2021, Erlich won his 22nd doubles title at the 2021 Belgrade Open with his partner Andrei Vasilevski. This win brought him very close to reaching 400 career match wins.
Jonathan Erlich announced he would retire after playing in the 2022 Tel Aviv Open in September 2022. He was supposed to play with Novak Djokovic again, but he had to pull out at the last minute due to an injury. This meant his professional career ended without playing his final match.
Playing for His Country
Davis Cup Matches
Jonathan Erlich played for the Israel Davis Cup team from 2000 to 2009. He won 12 out of 16 matches. These wins helped Israel in important matches against countries like Great Britain, Italy, Chile, and Russia.
In July 2009, Israel, ranked 8th, played against top-ranked Russia in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Tel Aviv. Russia had very famous players like Marat Safin. Safin had said that Israel was "lucky" to reach the quarterfinals. But the Israeli team, including Erlich and Ram, surprised everyone. They won the first three matches, securing the victory. Erlich and Ram won their doubles match in front of over 10,000 cheering fans. Erlich said it was a dream come true to beat Russia 3-0. Israel ended up winning the tie 4-1.
Olympic Games
Erlich and Ram represented Israel at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. They reached the quarterfinals. They also played for Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Big Finals: Doubles
Grand Slam Finals: 1 Title
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2008 | Australian Open | Hard |  Andy Ram |
 Arnaud Clément Michaël Llodra |
7–5, 7–6(7–4) |
Images for kids
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Ram and Erlich playing together at the 2008 Gerry Weber Open
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Jonathan Erlich competing for Israel in the Davis Cup
