There will be no men's or women's wheelchair tennis or quads events at this year's US Open Tennis Championships, and there's a good reason for it. The world's top wheelchair tennis players are currently in Paris, France, competing for their nations at the Paralympics.
Every four years, the Paralympic wheelchair tournament coincides with the US Open. However, the junior wheelchair tournament will still be held at the US Open at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens, New York, as scheduled.
Four Israeli athletes—Adam Berdichevsky, Guy Sasson, Sergei Lysov, and Maayan Zikri—are representing Israel in the wheelchair tennis competition, which began on Friday and will run through September 7 at Stade Roland Garros, the venue for the French Open. Sasson recently claimed the French Open quads title, and the Israeli team is off to a strong start.
On Friday, 40-year-old Berdichevsky, who began playing wheelchair tennis after losing a leg in a boating accident in 2007, secured his first singles victory at the Paralympics by defeating Italy's Luca Arca 6-2, 7-5. This marked Berdichevsky's debut win after participating in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
“I can't express how much fun it was to represent my country in this way. Winning felt incredible, especially since it was my first time playing in front of such a crowd; it felt like home—very special. I was thrilled to bring some joy to people during these challenging times."
Earlier in the week, Berdichevsky had the honor of serving as the flag bearer for the Israeli delegation. He expressed his joy about the experience, stating, “Carrying the flag was incredible; walking alongside the entire Israel team was amazing—and everyone saw me on TV.”
Next, he will compete against Chile’s Alexander Cataldo in the second round.
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