Jonathan Erlich facts for kids
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| Native name | יונתן ארליך |
|---|---|
| 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 (Hebrew: יונתן דאריו "יוני" ארליך) is a former professional tennis player from Israel. He was born on April 5, 1977. Jonathan was mostly a doubles specialist, meaning he played best in matches with two players on each side.
He won a major tennis tournament, the men's doubles title, at the 2008 Australian Open with his partner Andy Ram. In July 2008, he reached his highest doubles ranking, becoming world No. 5. Erlich played in 44 doubles finals and won 22 of them. Most of his wins were with Andy Ram. In Israel, they were known as "Andyoni."
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About Jonathan Erlich
Jonathan Erlich is Jewish. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When he was one year old, his family moved to Haifa, Israel. He now lives in Tel Aviv and played tennis representing Israel.
Jonathan started playing tennis when he was just three years old. He played in his first tournament at age seven. Later, he trained at the Wingate Institute. This is where he met Andy Ram, who would become his famous doubles partner. Jonathan became a professional tennis player in 1996 when he was 19.
He is also a big fan of the football team Maccabi Haifa.
After he stopped playing professional tennis, Jonathan joined the Israel Tennis & Education Centers (ITEC) in 2023. This is a non-profit organization. He became the Director of the High-Performance Program. In this role, he helps develop new tennis players from all over Israel. He focuses on finding talented players in areas that might not have many resources.
Jonathan's Tennis Journey
Early Career: 1996–2005
Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram first played together at Queen's Club in June 2001. In 2002, Jonathan won a singles match against Adrian Voinea, who was ranked #64 in the world.
One of their best achievements was reaching the semifinals at the Wimbledon championships in 2003. They beat strong teams but lost to the defending champions. They were the first Israeli players to reach the semifinals in a Grand Slam event. Grand Slams are the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world.
They won the Thailand Open in September 2003. They also won the Grand Prix de Lyon in October 2003.
In 2004, Jonathan played mixed doubles with Liezel Huber at the Australian Open. They reached the semifinals but were defeated.
Ram and Erlich won the Lyon tournament again in October 2004. They also won in Rotterdam in February 2005. They were ranked 8th in doubles at the end of 2005.
Big Wins: 2006–2010
Erlich and Ram won the Adelaide title in March 2006.
In August 2007, they won the Cincinnati 1000 Masters tournament. They surprised everyone by beating the world's top-ranked team, the Bryan brothers, in the final. In November 2007, they beat the Bryan brothers again at the Tennis Masters Cup in China.
Jonathan and Andy won their first Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open. They won the final against Arnaud Clément and Michaël Llodra. This was a huge moment in their careers.
From September 2008 to May 2009, Jonathan was recovering from elbow surgery. During this time, Andy Ram played with other partners. They reunited at the Israel Open in May 2009. Later that month, Jonathan won another tournament with Harel Levy.
In 2010, Jonathan partnered with Novak Djokovic at the 2010 Queen's Club Championships. They won the title together. This was Djokovic’s only doubles title in his career.
Later Career and Retirement: 2021–2022
In May 2021, Jonathan won his 22nd doubles title at the 2021 Belgrade Open. He played with his partner Andrei Vasilevski. This win brought him very close to reaching 400 career match wins.
Jonathan Erlich announced he would retire from professional tennis in September 2022. His last tournament was the 2022 Tel Aviv Open. He was supposed to play with Novak Djokovic again. However, he had to withdraw at the last minute due to an injury. This marked the end of his professional career.
Playing for His Country
Davis Cup
Jonathan played for the Israel Davis Cup team from 2000 and again from 2002 to 2009. The Davis Cup is a major international team competition in men's tennis. He won 12 of his 16 matches for Israel. These wins helped Israel in important matches against Great Britain, Luxembourg, Italy, and Chile.
In July 2009, Israel, ranked 8th, played against top-ranked Russia in a Davis Cup quarterfinal. The matches were held in Tel Aviv. Before the tie, a Russian player said Israel was "lucky to get to the quarterfinals." But the Israeli team, including Erlich and Ram, proved them wrong. They won their first three matches to win the tie. The Israeli captain said his players were like "two fighter jets on court." Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram won their doubles match in front of over 10,000 cheering fans. Jonathan said, "This is something I will cherish for all of my life." He added that beating Russia 3–0 was a dream come true.
Olympics
Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram represented Israel at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. They reached the quarterfinals there. They also played for Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Grand Slam Finals
Doubles (1 title)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2008 | Australian Open | Hard |  Andy Ram |
 Arnaud Clément Michaël Llodra |
7–5, 7–6(7–4) |
ATP Career Finals
Doubles: 45 (22 titles, 23 runners-up)
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Images for kids
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Ram and Erlich at the 2008 Gerry Weber Open
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Erlich playing in a Davis Cup match
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Erlich para niños
- List of select Jewish tennis players
