Dudi Sela

David "Dudi" Sela (Hebrew: דודי סלע; born April 4, 1985) is an Israeli professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 29 in July 2009. As of August 2015, Sela is Israel's top men's singles player.

Representing Israel in the Davis Cup, highlights include an upset win in 2007 over World No. 7 Fernando González and being a key factor in Israel's semifinal run in 2009. In 2008 he beat World No. 5 David Ferrer in straight sets, and in 2010, he beat World No. 7 Andy Roddick in straight sets. Sela reached the fourth round of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and has finished runner-up in two ATP tournaments in Beijing and Atlanta.

Early life

Sela's father Michael, a bus driver, and mother Anca, a nurse, immigrated to Israel from Romania. His family name was originally Sălăjean, but his father changed it so that it would be more easily pronounced in Israel. He grew up in Kiryat Shmona, near the Israel-Lebanon border.

At the age of two, Dudi, diminutive of David, had his hands on his first racket, and at the age of seven he began to play tennis. His tennis idols were his brother Ofer, who was a top 200 player, and the Israeli Amos Mansdorf.