Amos Mansdorf
Encyclopedia
Amos Mansdorf is a former professional tennis
player.
His best singles world ranking of 18 was the highest ever for any male, Israeli tennis player, reached in November 1987. His best doubles world ranking was 67, reached in May 1986.
, a small city north of Tel Aviv
. He started playing tennis when he was 10 years old. He trained at the Israel Tennis Centers
.
tour on a limited basis. During his service he played at the demonstration event of the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles, and lost in the first round.
Immediately after completing his service, in November 1986 he beat World # 5 Henri Leconte
6–2, 6–7, 6–3, in Wembley, United Kingdom. He won his first tour singles title later that month at Johannesburg
, beating World # 10 Andrés Gómez
6–4, 6–4 in the quarterfinals, and defeating American Matt Anger
in the final.
His second singles title came the following year in his hometown of Ramat Hasharon. In the semifinals he beat World # 6 Jimmy Connors
, 7–6, 6–3, and in the finals he beat World # 12 Brad Gilbert
, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4.
The third title was in January 1988 at Auckland
. In March he beat World # 4 Boris Becker
, 6–4, 6–4, in Orlando
. In October that year he won the biggest title of his career at the Paris Open
(now part of the Tennis Masters Series). He faced the World # 1 Mats Wilander
, but the Swede retired before the tournament began. Mansdorf beat Aaron Krickstein
and Jakob Hlasek
, two top 10 players, on his way to the final. He beat Gilbert in the final in straight sets, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3.
He also played at the 1988 Olympics
in Seoul
, where tennis was an official sport, and this time reached the 3rd round (last-16). In March 1989 in Scottsdale he upset World # 13 Thomas Muster
, 7–5, 6–2, and World # 15 Gilbert 5–7, 6–3, 6–0.
in the Netherlands in 1990. In the third round of the US Open in 1990 he beat World # 8 Brad Gilbert 5–7, 5–7, 6–3, 7–6, 6–1. In September 1991 in Toulouse
, he beat World # 11 Magnus Gustafsson
, 6–4, 6–1.
His best performance at a Grand Slam
tournament came at the Australian Open
in 1992, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champion, Jim Courier
. In February 1992 in Philadelphia, he upset World # 3 Michael Stich
7–6 (5), 7–5. In January 1993 in Sydney, he beat World # 13 Carlos Costa 6–1, 5–7, 6–4. He qualified for the 1992 Olympics
, but had to withdraw because of injury.
Mansdorf's sixth and final career title came in 1993 at Washington, DC, during which he beat World # 11 Petr Korda
6–3, 6–3. In July 1994 in Toronto, he beat World # 8 Todd Martin
6–7 (4), 6–3, retired, and in August at Cincinnati he upset Korda (World # 14) 6–3, 6–3, and Boris Becker
(World # 8), 7–6 (1), 6–4.
He reached the fourth round of the US Open and Wimbledon
. Mansdorf reached the finals of the US Pro Indoor Championships
, but lost to Pete Sampras
in the final.
Mansdorf at times displayed a temper. Once, after jumping over the net and pushing an opponent who he thought was cheating, he was suspended for a month.
In early 1996, Mansdorf got into a tiff with the Israel Tennis Association
when he accused it of mismanagement, suggesting that it was run in "an amateur fashion".http://books.google.com/books?id=Yw-DAAAAMAAJ&q=%22israel+tennis+association%22&dq=%22israel+tennis+association%22&num=100
In addition to his six titles, he reached ten other finals but lost, four of them in Ramat Hasharon. During his career, he won 304 matches and lost 231, and earned prize money of US$2,412,691.
, Mansdorf played 10 years and won 22 matches (second-most ever by an Israeli, to Shlomo Glickstein
, through 2008) against 25 losses, including a 15–4 record in singles matches on hard courts or carpet. He played a major role in Israel's success in this competition, when Israel played 6 years in the world group between 1987 and 1994.
, which did not allow him to practice or play with maximum effort all the time.
Between 2000 and 2004, he served as Davis Cup captain. His prime employment is as a diamond seller in Tel Aviv
.
In 2005, he was voted the 178th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player.
His best singles world ranking of 18 was the highest ever for any male, Israeli tennis player, reached in November 1987. His best doubles world ranking was 67, reached in May 1986.
Early life
Mansdorf grew up in Ramat HaSharonRamat Hasharon
Ramat HaSharon is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south and Herzliya and Kibbutz Glil Yam to the north. It is part of the Tel Aviv District, within Gush Dan metropolitan area...
, a small city north of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. He started playing tennis when he was 10 years old. He trained at the Israel Tennis Centers
Israel Tennis Centers
Israel Tennis Centers is the largest tennis program for children in the world, reaching more than 350,000 families—5% of the Israeli population...
.
1980s
In 1983 Mansdorf won the Asian Junior Championship in Hong Kong. That same year he turned professional, and started his mandatory Israeli army service. While he could not train as much during his service as he had would have liked, he was allowed to continue to play on the ATPAssociation of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
tour on a limited basis. During his service he played at the demonstration event of the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles, and lost in the first round.
Immediately after completing his service, in November 1986 he beat World # 5 Henri Leconte
Henri Leconte
Henri Leconte is a former French professional tennis player. He reached the men's singles final at the French Open in 1988, won the French Open men's doubles title in 1984, and helped France win the Davis Cup in 1991.-Biography and career:...
6–2, 6–7, 6–3, in Wembley, United Kingdom. He won his first tour singles title later that month at Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, beating World # 10 Andrés Gómez
Andrés Gómez
Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:...
6–4, 6–4 in the quarterfinals, and defeating American Matt Anger
Matt Anger
Matt Anger is a former tennis player from the United States, who won one singles and two doubles titles during his career....
in the final.
His second singles title came the following year in his hometown of Ramat Hasharon. In the semifinals he beat World # 6 Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
, 7–6, 6–3, and in the finals he beat World # 12 Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School ....
, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4.
The third title was in January 1988 at Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. In March he beat World # 4 Boris Becker
Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
, 6–4, 6–4, in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. In October that year he won the biggest title of his career at the Paris Open
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...
(now part of the Tennis Masters Series). He faced the World # 1 Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title...
, but the Swede retired before the tournament began. Mansdorf beat Aaron Krickstein
Aaron Krickstein
Aaron Krickstein , nicknamed "Marathon Man", is a former American professional tennis player, who competed on the ATP Tour from 1983 to 1996. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he currently competes on the Outback Champions Series Over-30 tour.Krickstein reached his career high ATP ranking of World No....
and Jakob Hlasek
Jakob Hlasek
Jakob Hlasek is a former professional tennis player from Switzerland.-Career:The major highlights of Hlasek's career came in 1992. He won the French Open men's doubles title that year...
, two top 10 players, on his way to the final. He beat Gilbert in the final in straight sets, 6–3, 6–2, 6–3.
He also played at the 1988 Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, where tennis was an official sport, and this time reached the 3rd round (last-16). In March 1989 in Scottsdale he upset World # 13 Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...
, 7–5, 6–2, and World # 15 Gilbert 5–7, 6–3, 6–0.
1990s
Mansdorf won another title at RosmalenRosmalen
Rosmalen is a city in the province of North Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. It is located near 's-Hertogenbosch and has belonged to its municipality since 1996. In 2005 the city began construction of a new neighbourhood, De Groote Wielen...
in the Netherlands in 1990. In the third round of the US Open in 1990 he beat World # 8 Brad Gilbert 5–7, 5–7, 6–3, 7–6, 6–1. In September 1991 in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, he beat World # 11 Magnus Gustafsson
Magnus Gustafsson
Magnus Nils Gustafsson is a former professional tennis player from Sweden.Gustafsson won 14 top-level singles titles during his career, reaching a career-high singles ranking of World No. 10 in 1991. He was also part of the Swedish team which won the Davis Cup in 1998...
, 6–4, 6–1.
His best performance at a Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournament came at the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
in 1992, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champion, Jim Courier
Jim Courier
James Spencer "Jim" Courier, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won four Grand Slam singles titles, two at the French Open and two at the Australian Open...
. In February 1992 in Philadelphia, he upset World # 3 Michael Stich
Michael Stich
Michael Detlef Stich is a former professional tennis player from Germany. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1991...
7–6 (5), 7–5. In January 1993 in Sydney, he beat World # 13 Carlos Costa 6–1, 5–7, 6–4. He qualified for the 1992 Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, but had to withdraw because of injury.
Mansdorf's sixth and final career title came in 1993 at Washington, DC, during which he beat World # 11 Petr Korda
Petr Korda
Petr Korda is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. He is best known for winning the Australian Open in 1998 and for testing positive for the banned substance, nandrolone, following a match at Wimbledon that same year.-Career:Korda was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.He first...
6–3, 6–3. In July 1994 in Toronto, he beat World # 8 Todd Martin
Todd Martin
----Todd Christopher Martin is a former professional tennis player from the United States.-Playing career:...
6–7 (4), 6–3, retired, and in August at Cincinnati he upset Korda (World # 14) 6–3, 6–3, and Boris Becker
Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
(World # 8), 7–6 (1), 6–4.
He reached the fourth round of the US Open and Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
. Mansdorf reached the finals of the US Pro Indoor Championships
U.S. Pro Indoor
The U.S. Pro Indoor is a defunct professional tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts, and indoor hard courts...
, but lost to Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
in the final.
Mansdorf at times displayed a temper. Once, after jumping over the net and pushing an opponent who he thought was cheating, he was suspended for a month.
In early 1996, Mansdorf got into a tiff with the Israel Tennis Association
Israel Tennis Association
The Israel Tennis Association , founded in 1950, is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in Israel. The ITA governs the arrangements for Israeli tennis leagues and tournaments, Israel's Davis Cup participation, and Israeli participation in tennis tournaments abroad...
when he accused it of mismanagement, suggesting that it was run in "an amateur fashion".http://books.google.com/books?id=Yw-DAAAAMAAJ&q=%22israel+tennis+association%22&dq=%22israel+tennis+association%22&num=100
In addition to his six titles, he reached ten other finals but lost, four of them in Ramat Hasharon. During his career, he won 304 matches and lost 231, and earned prize money of US$2,412,691.
Davis Cup
In Davis CupDavis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
, Mansdorf played 10 years and won 22 matches (second-most ever by an Israeli, to Shlomo Glickstein
Shlomo Glickstein
Shlomo Glickstein is an Israeli former professional tennis player.He reached his career-high singles ranking of World # 22 in November 1982, and his career-high doubles ranking of World # 28 in February 1986....
, through 2008) against 25 losses, including a 15–4 record in singles matches on hard courts or carpet. He played a major role in Israel's success in this competition, when Israel played 6 years in the world group between 1987 and 1994.
Retirement
Mansdorf retired in 1994. He suffered from chronic fatigue syndromeChronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name used to designate a significantly debilitating medical disorder or group of disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue accompanied by other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months, not due to ongoing exertion, not substantially...
, which did not allow him to practice or play with maximum effort all the time.
2000s
Following his retirement, Mansdorf continued to remain active in Israeli tennis, and is currently the Chairman of the Israel Tennis Center and Israel Tennis Association's program for promising young tennis players.Between 2000 and 2004, he served as Davis Cup captain. His prime employment is as a diamond seller in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
In 2005, he was voted the 178th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.