‘I knew I still had it,’ says Israel’s Erlich, 38, ahead of Wimbledon semis
Even his own doubles partner told him to retire, but tennis veteran is now set to vie for another shot at the London title
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The Israeli tennis player Yoni Erlich was brimming with confidence Wednesday ahead of his first Wimbledon men’s doubles semifinal in 12 years.
Erlich and partner Philipp Petzschner, who defeated Roland Garros champions Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo in four sets Tuesday, will face Britain’s Jamie Murray and Australian John Peers on Thursday for a place in the finals.
“I knew I had still had it me, especially on grass, especially at Wimbledon,” said Erlich, 38, whose longtime doubles partner Andi Ram, three years his junior, has retired from the sport and had been telling Erlich to do likewise. “It took a little longer, but it shows anything can happen,” Erlich told Israel’s Channel 2.
Ram, who was in the crowd for Tuesday’s game, acknowledged that: “I had told him, ‘Stop already!'”
Erlich won most of his 17 career doubles titles with Ram, including the Australian Open in 2008. His last tournament doubles victory was in Serbia in 2012.
While the so-called “Andyoni” Israeli pairing — Israel’s most successful doubles team by far — never made it past the Wimbledon semis, Erlich’s new partner Petzschner won the Wimbledon doubles in 2010 with Jurgen Melzer.
Having dispatched number 2 seeds Dodig and Melo, the pair now face 13th seeds Murray and Peers, who will also enjoy considerable home support: Murray’s younger brother Andy is Britain’s top tennis player, won Wimbledon in 2013, and is through to this year’s singles semis.
Said Erlich: “The semifinals won’t be easy. I played against Murray and Peers several times. Everyone will come hungry, and whoever loosens up first will have the advantage.”
The Times of Israel Community.