Israel's Paralympic tennis player, Guy Sassoon, recorded an incredible achievement today (Saturday) when he finished as the runner-up of the Australian Open in wheelchair tennis.
The 44-year-old Sassoon, ranked fourth in the tournament, succumbed in the battle for the Grand Slam title to Dutch Schroeder, ranked second in the world - 6:3, 6:3, in a match that lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
Sasson, who was seriously injured in a snowboarding accident in France in 2015 and suffered a spinal cord injury, received massive encouragement from dozens of Jews and Israelis: "I want to thank all the fans who came here and cheered me on, it's not something you see every day - I did my best."
The tennis player declared: "I did the best I could, I hope that next time I will be on the winning side. I want to dedicate the victory to Israel", then said in Hebrew: "We do not have another country, the nation of Israel is alive".
The Israeli audience in Australia, photo: AP
Sassoon only moved to the quad category from the fashion category about a year ago (the quad is the more difficult disability category) and quickly established himself at the top.
During the week, he also knocked out the number one ranked, Dutchman Nils Vink, who beat him in all five of their meetings so far (including in the World Team Championship final).
The Israeli guaranteed himself at least 500 rating points and qualification from fourth place in the world to third place, as he hopes to continue his great ability and also enter the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Guy Sassoon.
A great achievement, photo: AFP
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