Ivan Lendl, Pat Cash, Stefan Edberg, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer. I’m sure you’ll agree, that’s quite an illustrious list that Noah Rubin has joined. An A-list cast.
Indeed young Noah punched well above his weight at SW19, overcoming all the odds to win the big prize in the Junior competition. He was just ace.
He played more games than his rivals, with his 7-6, 7-6 victory over big-serving Tim Van Rijthoven, on Independence Day, giving him the belief that he could go all the way as the unseeded Dutchman had taken down Russian no. 1 Andrey Rublev.
With no American man or woman reaching the fourth round of the Wimbledon main draws, Rubin was one of three US starlets to reach the semi-finals in the Boys competition which point to a potential resurgence for the once dominant nation of world tennis. He said: "It’s pretty rewarding, but it’s a lot of sacrifice."
His parents have agreed, sort of, on his future path – to keep playing tennis and see just how far he can go, but to go to college as well. That’s always been the million dollar scenario for the top Jewish sporting talent, both home and away. But the prizes at stake if you make it all the way to the top would make it a gamble worth taking.
• Laetitia Beck is another shooting star. I met her just over two years ago and liked what I saw. She told me then about her aspirations of competing in Rio. It was much more than a pipe dream and she has taken her game to another level since. Her development is something very special for Israeli golf.
• Good things come to those who wait. And the waiting is finally over for Dyrham Park who are still celebrating their first Glancy Trophy success. The recent signings of Michael Charles, Stephen Schindler, Josh Davis and
Ricky Curtis helped them break their duck and I just love Leon Moss’s line – comparing them to the “Manchester
City of Jewish golf".
* A big thank you goes out to everyone who attended the South Manchester Sports Awards the other day. Not many amateur sports clubs last 65 years and their dedicated team of volunteers are an example to us all.
Chairman Jonny Davis describes the club as "stronger than ever" and under the watchful eye of Senior coach Paul Kirkham, who Davis told me "takes no prisoners," I expect them to go from strength to strength on the pitch next season.
