New York & Toronto – Israeli tennis great Yoni Erlich, one of the most accomplished and beloved athletes in Israeli history, has joined the non-profit Israel Tennis & Education Centers (ITEC) as Director of High Performance. In his new position, Erlich will be responsible for the development of competitive tennis players from all backgrounds throughout Israel, with an emphasis on distributing resources and identify talent in underserved and remote areas of the country.
Erlich will collaborate with other professionals affiliated with ITEC, including his former doubles partner and fellow ITEC alum Andy Ram. The pair, highly ranked on the professional tour, won the men’s doubles title at the 2008 Australian Open and they represented Israel on the Davis Cup team. Their reunion at ITEC includes leadership roles within the organization’s High Performance Program.
Ehrlich, 45, began playing tennis at ITEC’s Haifa center when he was still a preschooler. In the early 1990s, he moved to the tennis academy at the Wingate Institute and trained with legendary coach Ronen Moralli. During his career, he reached 44 doubles finals, winning 22 of them. He retired from professional tennis in 2022.
“Yoni will contribute greatly to the promotion of Israeli tennis and will bring great honor to the state of Israel by nurturing our next generation of competitive tennis players,” said Erez Vider, CEO of ITEC. “Yoni’s path for success, both on and off the tennis courts, aligns perfectly with ITEC’s guiding philosophy that tennis is not just tennis but a way of bringing profound change to all Israeli children on a personal, community and cultural level. He will have great influence in empowering children from Israel’s geographical and social periphery through our range of social impact programs.”
“Tennis has brought me to places I never imagined,” said Erlich. “I am excited to return to the home where I grew up and from where new tennis champions will emerge. I am passionate about giving back to this wonderful game. Through the ITEC model, I am confident we can touch the lives of so many children and extend the extraordinary work taking place every day at the ITEC centers.”
About Israel Tennis and Education Centers (ITEC)
Israel Tennis and Education Centers (ITEC) creates hope, builds friendships and inspires dreams by providing opportunities to support every child who lives in Israel regardless of geography, religion, ethnicity, physical ability or socioeconomic status. Through its programs, ITEC helps to build a stronger and more peaceful state of Israel.
Though tennis is at the core of what ITEC offers, it is only the first step in a much broader program of personal growth, centered around emotional and social development. Tennis is the way in, the tool that empowers the children of ITEC to learn the life skills that will help them pursue their dreams. ITEC embraces children of all abilities and physical skills.
The ITEC Foundation, the development arm of ITEC, is based in New York City, Florida and Toronto.