Eye-Opening Interview with Dudi Sela on Israel @CitiOpen (Video)
Dudi Sela gets his share of questions about Israel, but reporters are usually reticent to ask him to talk about the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Tonight, after his first round victory at the Citi Open in Washington, DC, Sela reflected on tennis in his home country and bemoaned the fact that there is not a crop of rising players waiting in the wings to take his place despite the sport’s popularity there.
Then, he stunned many of us by mentioning that these days, his wife and child awake each morning at 7:00 a.m. and head to a nearby shelter for safety. His admission puts things in perspective. It also reminds us all that global athletic competitions like the ATP World Tour do their (small) part to try to bring nations and cultures together.
Sela faces Richard Gasquet in Round 2 tomorrow on Grandstand 1 around 8:00 p.m.
—Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast
Tennis Atlantic 