Interview: Boaz Kramer and Shraga Weinberg ready to racket-and-roll

Israel's top wheelchair tennis duo looks to rise in rankings after Paralympic silver surprise.

By BEN SOLOMON
kramer 88 (photo credit: )
kramer 88
(photo credit: )
Dudi Sela is certainly not the only feel-good Israeli tennis story in recent weeks, and while the 23-year-old Israeli has certainly been at the top of his game of late, he has nothing even remotely close to match the silver medals hanging around the necks of our country's top wheelchair tennis pair from the Paralympic Games in Beijing. Short on tournament experience, but chock-full of dedication and determination, the Israeli wheel-tennis duo of Boaz Kramer and Shraga Weinberg shocked the sporting world last month in Beijing, proving both the world rankings and their critics wrong en route to winning a coveted silver medal at the Games. The win marked the first medal ever in the history of the Israeli Wheelchair tennis at the Paralympics. The duo breezed through the competition in the quad doubles division, winning their first three matches without dropping a single set. This came as a enormous surprise for the pair, who were unseeded coming in. The team defeated Sweden in staright sets in their first match, then took on the Netherlands in the quarterfinals with the same result. It wasn't, however, until they upset second-seeded Great Britain in the semifinals and secured a medal that they really proved to themselves just how far they have come. "It was their best match together in the past three years," their coach, Kobi Wieener, told The Jerusalem Post. "They beat the second-ranked team in the tournament and probably the best-playing pair of the week in Great Britain." Kramer didn't seem surprised. He and his teammate were confident from the beginning. "We were kind of an large underdog," said Kramer. "It seems we were the only ones who knew we were capable of doing that." In the final match againt the US, their stirring run came to an end. The Israelis came out flat, loosing the first set 6-0. In the second set, they struck back, winning a close one by the score of 6-4. In the third and final set, Israel got behind 5-0 at first and then saved three match points while trying to mount a comeback. In the end, they couldn't overcome their American opponents, loosing 6-2. "We beat some of the world's best pairs," Kramer said. "We were both happy with our final performance." Between the two, 41-year-old Weinberg is the senior player. He has over 20 years of experience in competitive wheelchair tennis and is currently ranked eighth in the world in quad singles wheelchair tennis. Kramer, 31, has played wheelchair tennis professionally for three years. Before getting involved in tennis, he was active in other disabled sports such as wheelchair basketball. It wasn't until he was discovered by his current coach Wieener that he got seriously into wheelchair tennis. Both men suffer from congenital disabilities from birth and have been limited to a wheelchair for their entire lives. In their three years as doubles partners, Weinberg and Kramer have developed a great relationship together. Throughout their time together, their experiences have been positive. "They respect each other a lot which is important in a good doubles team," Said Wieener. "Because he is more experienced, Shraga taught Boaz what to do and how to play as a team. Now, after the game they are going out together and are good friends." While Kramer is happy about the team's performance in Beijing, he is angry with the lack of appreciation and coverage back home. "This achievement is something the media should take upon itself," excalimed Kramer. "Disabled sports and the Paralympics are a great way to positively highlight the Israeli disabled population and help raise awareness to see what can be achieved in wheelchair." This lack of appreciation haunted the players before they even got to play. Kramer attributes the fact that they were unseeded in Beijing to the relatively few tournaments they played in 2008. "We can only play around 10 tournaments a year while other teams play 20 to 30," said Kramer. "After a full day of working its hard to get the training and experience we need." Money problems are something Israeli paralympians are familiar with. Most Israeli paralympians must support themselves with other jobs because of the lack of funds they receive from the Israeli government. "This is not the ideal situation," reflects Weinberg. "Unfortunately no commercial firm is willing to undertake our sponsorship. I hope the medal we have won will change that." Aside from tennis, Kramer and Weinberg live ordinary Israeli lives. Kramer runs a small business with his wife and Weinberg is an accountant. The two work hard at balancing their time between life and tennis. "Both of us need to wear at least three different hats: We play tennis, but then we work and also have families," noted Kramer. With a paralympic medal under their belt, the sky is the limit for the pair. They are confident that they can be the best quad tennis pair in the world. "We hope our future is brighter now," said Weinberg. "We will go back to practice now and fix what needs repair, in order to do even better in London 2012."