National Tennis AcademyNational Tennis AcademyIsrael Tennis Association עברית Become a partner
Israel Tennis Association · National Tennis Academy

Building the future of Israeli tennis.Point by point.

An invitation to friends of Israel around the world to stand behind the next generation of Israeli players, 2026–2029.

Become a partnerDownload the PDF
Scroll
Our vision

By 2029, the Israeli flag in the draws of the junior Grand Slams.

Within three years we want a new generation of Israeli players competing with the best juniors in the world, in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York, and a national Academy strong enough to keep producing them, year after year.

And from there, the real destination: Israeli players on the ATP and WTA tours.

01

Every talent finds the road

From a free lesson for second-graders to the professional tour: a clear path for every child who shows promise, from every part of the country.

02

A national home at Wingate

One place where Israel’s best young players live, study and train with full professional support.

03

Israel back on the map

Israeli juniors climbing the world rankings, and in time, Israeli players on the professional tour carrying the flag with pride.

The horizon
2026
8
players open the Academy at Wingate
2027
20+
players in the Academy programme, and 5 in the European U14 top 100
2029
3
Israelis in the world junior top 100, playing the junior Grand Slams
The destination
ATP · WTA
Israeli men and women on the professional tour, under the Israeli flag

Every point they win is a point for Israel.

8players today
20+players by Sep 2027
5in the European U14 top 100 by end of 2027
3in the world junior top 100 by 2029
8 of 20 places filled on the way to September 2027
A letter from the CEO

We have the talent. Now we are building the road.

Dear friend,

For two years before I took this job, I was a volunteer at the Israel Tennis Association. I ran our Masters community and played tournaments in Israel and abroad. Wherever I went I met talented Israeli kids, and I saw how hard it is to carry that talent all the way to the world stage.

In August 2025 I was chosen to lead the Association. I came from years of managing international companies, and I know that a big goal needs three things: a clear plan, the right people, and partners who believe in it.

On 1 September 2026 we opened the National Tennis Academy at the Wingate Institute. Eight of Israel’s most promising 13- and 14-year-olds now live, study and train there, with two coaches who are devoting the coming years to this group.

This is only the first step. By 2029 we want to see Israeli juniors back in the draws of the junior Grand Slams, and an Academy that serves dozens of players from every part of the country. The following pages set out exactly what we are aiming for, year by year, and what it costs.

We cannot do it alone. I would be proud to have you with us.

Point by point,

Danny Perekalsky
CEO, Israel Tennis Association
Our story

Israel has been on the tennis map before.

Israeli tennis has a record to be proud of, and some of its best chapters began in the junior game.

1950
The Israel Tennis Association is founded.
1987
Amos Mansdorf reaches world No. 18, still the best ranking by an Israeli man.
1991
Anna Smashnova wins the French Open girls’ title. She goes on to reach world No. 15 and win 12 WTA titles.
2004
Shahar Pe’er wins the Australian Open girls’ title. In January 2011 she reaches world No. 11, the highest ranking of any Israeli player.
2006
Andy Ram wins the Wimbledon mixed doubles, the first senior Grand Slam title won by an Israeli.
2008
Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich win the Australian Open men’s doubles.
2009
Israel beats Russia 4–1 in Tel Aviv and reaches the Davis Cup semi-finals for the first time.
Swipe for more moments →

Two of our greatest players were junior Grand Slam champions first. That is the road we are reopening.

The talent never left. Israeli children still win at youth level. What has been missing is a stable, long-term framework for the hardest step in the sport: the move from junior success to the professional tour. That step takes years of high-level coaching, professional support, careful planning and constant international competition.

Since 7 October 2023, international tournaments in Israel have become rare. Our juniors travel abroad for almost every ranking point they earn. Each time they walk onto a court in Europe with the flag on their shirt, they carry a little more than a racket.

What has changed

From scattered talent to a national pathway.

Over the past two years the Association has built a route a child can follow from a first lesson at school to the international stage. The Academy sits at the top of it.

01

Racket for Every Child

A free weekly tennis lesson inside the school day for about 5,000 second-graders. It began as a pilot with Israel’s sports lottery (Toto) and is now a national project with the Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Ministry of Education. The aim: find children with potential early.

02

Six excellence centres

Regional centres operated by the Association, where talented children train at a higher level close to home.

03

Youth national teams

Israel’s best juniors representing the country in international team events.

04

The National Tennis Academy

Opened 1 September 2026 at the Wingate Institute: the national home for competitive tennis.

05

The international junior circuit

Tennis Europe and ITF junior events, 12 weeks a year abroad with a coach.

06

The professional tour

The goal the whole pathway serves.

5,000second-graders in the school programme
6regional excellence centres
8players in the Academy’s first group
12weeks of international competition per player, per year
The National Tennis Academy

Eight players. One home. One goal.

The Academy opened on 1 September 2026 at the Wingate Institute, Israel’s national centre for sport. Our first group brings together eight of the country’s leading young players, aged 13–14: five boys and three girls from communities across Israel.

They live and study at Wingate alongside leading young athletes from other sports, in an environment built to help them train, learn and grow. Two coaches, chosen after a broad national search, are with them every day.

This is only the first step toward a big goal: to give our young, committed players the best competitive framework there is, so they can compete on the biggest stages in the world.Danny Perekalsky, at the Academy’s launch, August 2026

Every player receives

  • Daily tennis training
  • Strength and conditioning
  • Mental coaching
  • Sports nutrition
  • Physiotherapy and medical care
  • Boarding and school at Wingate
  • Professional equipment
  • Personal and competitive planning
  • 12 weeks a year of international competition, with a coach
The roadmap

Where we will be, and when.

These are the targets the Association has set for the Academy. They are specific on purpose, so our partners can follow every step.

Sep 2026

The Academy opensDone

Eight players aged 13–14, five boys and three girls, living, studying and training at Wingate.

2029

Israel at the junior Grand SlamsVision

At least three players in the ITF World Junior top 100, competing at the junior Grand Slams in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.

Beyond

The professional tourVision

The step from junior tennis to the professional tour, which is why the Academy exists. Next: places for more players aged 12–15 and training for 10–11-year-olds.

The investment

What one player’s year costs, and why.

US$80,000
per player, per year
US$640,000a year for today’s group of eight

That is the full cost of one Academy place: coaching, fitness, mental and medical care, boarding, school and international competition.

Tennis is an individual sport played on a world circuit. Ranking points are earned at tournaments, and for an Israeli junior today almost all of them are abroad. Flights, hotels, entry fees and a coach at the player’s side are not extras. They are the programme.

The Academy was launched with the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Wingate Institute and our lead sponsor, Dejavoo. To grow from eight players to twenty, and to keep every one of them competing internationally, we need more partners.

Build your partnership

See what your support makes possible.

Your partnership
US$80,000

Ways to partner

Become a partner in a player’s journey.

You can fund all or part of a player’s annual programme, for one season or for the whole road to 2029.

Gifts of any size are welcome and go toward the Academy’s players.

As a partner, you will

Receive regular updates on results and rankings from the Academy.
Be invited to Wingate to watch the players train.
Be recognised as a partner of the National Tennis Academy, if you wish.
Be able to join the Academy board, with a gift of US$80,000 or more.
Our partners

In good company.

Partners: Wingate Institute, Ministry of Culture and Sport, Israel Tennis Association, Israel Tennis & Education Centers, Dejavoo

The Academy operates with the Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Wingate Institute. Dejavoo is its lead sponsor. Dejavoo’s founder, a tennis lover who grew up in Beersheba, took the tennis coaching course at Wingate before his army service. For him, supporting the next generation closes a circle.

With so much young talent in Israel, I believe the Academy can build the infrastructure and opportunities to grow players who will bring Israel back onto the international tennis map.Founder, Dejavoo, lead sponsor of the Academy
Let’s talk

Join us, point by point.

Leave your details and Danny will get back to you personally.

WhatsApp Danny+972 50 454 5812 Call+972 50 454 5812 Emaildanny@ita.co.il

Your details go only to the Israel Tennis Association and are used only to contact you about the Academy.

Thank you!

Your details are on their way to Danny. He will be in touch soon.

Know someone who loves tennis and Israel? Share the Academy with them:

Let’s put Israel back on the tennis map.

Point by point.
Become a partnerDownload the PDF
Become a partner