Noam Okun

Okun turned professional at age 16 and broke into the world's top 200 in 1999, the same year he began representing Israel in Davis Cup competition.[1] He played his first Grand Slam tournament at the 2000 Australian Open, a milestone quickly followed by a nine-month absence from the tour due to a serious knee injury.[1]

Despite that early setback, he climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 95 in April 2002, a position he held for only a few weeks before injuries again intervened.[1][2] He had been identified while young as a potential leader of Israeli tennis following the era of Amos Mansdorf, and was described as strong, athletic, and technically skilled.[2] At the 2002 U.S. Open, Okun faced fellow Israeli Noam Behr in the second round of qualifying and won 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), advancing in the draw at Behr's expense.[3] Earlier, in mid-July 2002, he and compatriot Harel Levy reached the doubles semifinals of the Seascape Challenger Tournament.[4]

Okun was a key member of Israel's Davis Cup team beginning in 1999 and continued in that role for more than a decade, serving as the country's top singles player during much of that span — before Dudi Sela's emergence — and sometimes playing two singles rubbers and a doubles rubber in a single tie.[1][2]

Sources differ on Okun's Davis Cup singles record: a 2010 Globes profile listed 14 wins and 16 losses, while a 2011 Jerusalem Post profile reported 16 wins in 30 singles matches.[1][2] His Davis Cup victories included wins over South Africa's Wayne Ferreira, Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, and Italy's Andreas Seppi.[2] In 2006, he defeated Britain's Jamie Delgado in five sets at Eastbourne, supplying two of Israel's three points in a tie that secured Israel's first-ever Davis Cup victory over Britain and kept Israel in Europe/Africa Group I.[5]

One of the highlights of his Davis Cup career came in April 2007, when, ranked No. 171, he defeated Simone Bolelli — then ranked No. 111 — 7-5, 7-5, 6-4, in a Group I tie against Italy at Ramat Hasharon.[6] The win put Israel 2-0 up in the best-of-five contest and within one match of a World Group playoff berth; Israel had not competed in the Davis Cup World Group since 1994.[7] Okun described the atmosphere in the stadium as "incredible."[6] He later helped Israel, alongside Dudi Sela, Andy Ram, and Yoni Erlich, reach the Davis Cup upper tier.[8]

Okun finished 2006 as Israel's highest-ranked player at world No. 178.[9] That season he reached the second round of the U.S. Open, the final in Lubbock, and the semifinals in both Granby and Vancouver.[9] He said he had begun the year poorly but climbed into the top 180 on the strength of late-season results.[9]

He began 2007 as Israel's No. 1 and won a Challenger title in Illinois, also reaching semifinals in New Caledonia and Binghamton.[8] Injuries in the final months of that season, however, pushed him down to world No. 245 and Israel's No. 3 by year's end.[8] By October 2010, his ranking stood at No. 319; he had won 168 and lost 148 matches in Challenger singles over his career, and had earned approximately $780,000 in career prize money, including $38,000 in 2010.[2] He finished that final year ranked No. 355, with reported annual earnings of $41,550.[1]

Even at his career peak, Okun struggled with the economics of professional tennis at the Challenger level. When ranked No. 95, he spent roughly half of his earnings on a coach and could not afford to travel with that coach throughout the year.[1] Prize money alone did not cover his expenses at lower rankings, and support tied to Israel's Davis Cup success — including travel, meals, and at times funding for a coach — helped him continue competing and support his family.[2]

Looking back on his career, he expressed the view that he had not received sufficient financial support from Israeli tennis authorities during the years when he was carrying the national team as its top-ranked player.[1]

Recurring injuries defined the trajectory of Okun's career. Beyond the early knee problem that cost him nine months in 2000-2001, he sustained serious shoulder, thigh, elbow, and back injuries throughout his time on tour.[1] A severe back injury approximately three years before his retirement, by his own account, never fully healed, and in his final seasons he frequently was not physically fit, leading to mid-tournament retirements.[1]

During his last 18 months as a professional he lost the motivation to practice and to travel for competition. "I forced myself to practice. I forced myself to fly abroad. After losses I couldn't even look at a tennis court," he said.[1] He formally retired in December 2010 at age 32.[1][2]

His final competitive match was a semifinal at the Israeli Tennis Championships on December 23, 2010, where he lost to Dudi Sela 7-6, 6-4, before approximately 500 spectators.[10] Okun said he was pleased with his own performance but acknowledged that Sela was better at the decisive moments.[10] After retiring, he began training to become a stockbroker, while leaving open the possibility of returning to tennis in some capacity.[1]

Okun's standing in Israeli tennis is tied particularly to Davis Cup. Globes described him as the national team's central player before Dudi Sela's emergence and noted that he sometimes played both singles rubbers and the doubles rubber in one tie.[2] His five-set victory over Jamie Delgado helped secure Israel's first Davis Cup win over Britain in 2006, and Ynet later credited him as part of the team that reached the competition's upper tier alongside Sela, Andy Ram, and Yoni Erlich.[8][5]

His career also reflected persistence through repeated physical setbacks and the financial constraints of the Challenger circuit. Globes reported that he repeatedly returned from injury through smaller tournaments, rebuilding confidence, earnings, and a ranking that allowed him to enter qualifying draws for larger events.[2]