Noam Okun

Israeli tennis player

Noam Okun

Country (sports)|  Israel
Residence| Haifa, Israel
Born|  (1978-04-16) 16 April 1978 (age 46)
Haifa, Israel
Height| 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro| 1996
Retired| 2015
Plays| Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Coach| Shimon Rapaport
Prize money| $784,555
Singles
Career record| 36–59
Career titles| 0
Highest ranking| No. 95 (22 April 2002)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open| 1R (2000, 2002)
French Open| Q3 (2005)
Wimbledon| 1R (2002, 2005)
US Open| 2R (2002, 2006)
Doubles
Career record| 1–5
Career titles| 0
Highest ranking| No. 162 (6 July 2009)
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon| Q1 (2003, 2005)
Last updated on: 8 June 2021.

Noam Okun (Hebrew: נעם אוקון; born 16 April 1978) is an Israeli retired professional tennis player.

He reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 95 in April 2002.[1] Okun won several challenger tournaments in his career, and was a consistent competitor on the ATP tour, often qualifying for Grand Slam events.

He, Harel Levy, and Dudi Sela were Israel's top singles players for a number of years. Okun trained at the Israel Tennis Centers.[2]

## Early life

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Okun was born in Haifa, Israel.[1] His parents are Igor (who works for Israeli Electric Company) and Galit (an assistant to an orthopedic doctor), and he is Jewish.[1][3][4]

## Tennis career

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Okun began playing tennis at age nine, and was selected to be part of the Israeli Tennis Federation program after a short course at school.[1]

He turned pro in 1999, at the age of 21.

In 2000, Okun qualified for the Australian Open, where he lost to hometown favorite Mark Philippoussis in a five-set thriller, 4–6, 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 2–6. This was Okun's grand slam debut.[1]

In March 2002, Okun upset Albert Portas of Spain, ranked # 26 in the world, 7–6(4), 6–4, in Scottsdale. In July 2002 he upset Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands, ranked # 23 in the world, 7–6(5), 7–6(4), in Los Angeles. Okun qualified into the 2002 US Open, and lost to world # 1 and defending champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, 6–7(7), 4–6, 1–6 in the second round.[1]

In August 2003 Okun upset Martin Verkerk of the Netherlands, ranked # 15 in the world, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1, in Cincinnati.[1]

Noam Okun at 2004 U.S. Open

In August 2004, Okun won his first title in Binghamton, New York, beating Danai Udomchoke 6–3, 4–6, 6–1 for the title.[1]

In June 2005, Okun qualified for Wimbledon, and lost to Gaël Monfils 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–7(14) in the first round. In September 2005, Okun qualified for the US Open and lost to Mariano Puerta 6–7(4), 7–6(3), 4–6, 0–6 in the first round.[1]

In September 2006, Okun qualified for the US Open, and beat Potito Starace 6–2, 6–0, 4–6, 6–2 in the first round. Okun went down to Łukasz Kubot in the second round, 6–7(7), 4–6, 6–2, 6–2, 4–6.[1]

In July 2007, Okun won his second challenger title in Winnetka, Illinois, beating South Africa's Kevin Anderson 6–4, 6–3 in the final.[1]

In February 2009 he won an Israel F2 tournament, and lost in the finals of an Israel F3 tournament to Harel Levy, by walkover.[5] In August and September 2009, he won three tournaments—an Israel F4, F5 and F6 tournament.[5]

In March 2015, he played in an Israel F3 tournament in Ramat HaSharon, Israel, and lost in the finals to Isak Arvidsson of Sweden.[5]

## ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals

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### Singles: 18 (10–8)

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| Legend

ATP Challenger (5–3)
ITF Futures (5–5)
| Finals by surface

Hard (9–6)
Clay (1–1)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–1)
Result  | W–L  | Date  | Tournament  | Tier  | Surface  | Opponent  | Score

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Loss  | 0–1 | Jun 1998 | Ireland F1, Dublin | Futures  | Carpet  |  Michael Hill | 6–4, 4–6, 3–6
Loss  | 0–2 | Jun 1998 | Greece F5, Athens | Futures  | Clay  |  Lior Mor | 4–6, 1–6
Loss  | 0–3 | Apr 1999 | Uzbekistan F2, Namangan | Futures  | Hard  |  Oleg Ogorodov | 3–6, 6–2, 3–6
Win  | 1–3 | Jun 1999 | Poland F1, Kraków | Futures  | Clay  |  Bartlomiej Dabrowski | 6–1, 7–6
Loss  | 1–4 | Oct 1999 | Tel Aviv, Israel  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Ctislav Doseděl | 6–7, 3–6
Loss  | 1–5 | Feb 2001 | Chandigarh, India  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Dennis Van Scheppingen | 3–6, 5–7
Win  | 2–5 | May 2001 | Jerusalem, Israel  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Michaël Llodra | 6–4, 6–1
Win  | 3–5 | Jun 2001 | Andorra la Vella, Andorra  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Christian Vinck | 6–2, 6–4
Win  | 4–5 | Nov 2001 | Tyler, United States  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Vince Spadea | 7–5, 6–2
Win  | 5–5 | Aug 2004 | Binghamton, United States  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Danai Udomchoke | 6–3, 4–6, 6–1
Loss  | 5–6 | Sep 2006 | Lubbock, United States  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Sam Querrey | 1–6, 4–6
Win  | 6–6 | Jul 2007 | Winnetka, United States  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Kevin Anderson | 6–4, 6–3
Win  | 7–6 | Feb 2009 | Israel F2, Eilat | Futures  | Hard  |  Harel Levy | 6–4, 6–4
Loss  | 7–7 | Feb 2009 | Israel F3, Eilat | Futures  | Hard  |  Harel Levy | walkover
Win  | 8–7 | Aug 2009 | Israel F4, Ramat HaSharon | Futures  | Hard  |  Mikal Statham | 6–2, 6–1
Win  | 9–7 | Sep 2009 | Israel F5, Ramat HaSharon | Futures  | Hard  |  Miloslav Mečíř | 6–3, 6–2
Win  | 10–7 | Sep 2009 | Israel F6, Ramat HaSharon | Futures  | Hard  |  Marcus Daniell | 7–6(7–4), 6–2
Loss  | 10–8 | Mar 2015 | Israel F3, Ramat HaSharon | Futures  | Hard  |  Isak Arvidsson | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6

### Doubles: 22 (11–11)

[edit]

| Legend

ATP Challenger (9–7)
ITF Futures (2–4)
| Finals by surface

Hard (9–11)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (1–0)
Result  | W–L  | Date  | Tournament  | Tier  | Surface  | Partner  | Opponents  | Score

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Win  | 1–0 | Jan 1998 | India F1, New Delhi | Futures  | Hard  |  Jonathan Erlich |  Lior Mor
Jamie Delgado | 6–7, 7–6, 7–6
Loss  | 1–1 | Jan 1998 | India F3, Indore | Futures  | Hard  |  Jonathan Erlich |  Ali Hamadeh
Andrew Rueb | 6–7, 4–6
Loss  | 1–2 | Oct 1998 | Tel Aviv, Israel  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Nir Welgreen |  Radek Štěpánek
Michal Tabara | 6–7, 3–6
Win  | 2–2 | Dec 1998 | Ahmedabad, India  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Nir Welgreen |  Noam Behr
Eyal Ran | 3–6, 6–0, 6–4
Win  | 3–2 | Sep 1999 | Budapest, Hungary  | Challenger  | Clay  |  Harel Levy |  Daniel Fiala
Leoš Friedl | 6–4, 4–6, 6–2
Win  | 4–2 | Jan 2001 | São Paulo, Brazil  | Challenger  | Hard  |  André Sá |  Cedric Kauffmann
Flávio Saretta | 6–4, 1–6, 6–4
Win  | 5–2 | Mar 2001 | Kyoto, Japan  | Challenger  | Carpet  |  Noam Behr |  Kelly Gullett
Brandon Hawk | 6–3, 7–5
Win  | 6–2 | Mar 2001 | Hamilton, New Zealand  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Noam Behr |  Tuomas Ketola
Filippo Messori | 7–6(7–4), 6–4
Loss  | 6–3 | May 2001 | Jerusalem, Israel  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Noam Behr |  Jonathan Erlich
Michaël Llodra | 5–7, 6–4, 6–7(2–7)
Win  | 7–3 | Jul 2003 | Córdoba, Spain  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Brandon Coupe |  Juan Ignacio Carrasco
Albert Portas | 6–4, 1–6, 6–4
Win  | 8–3 | Jun 2004 | Tallahassee, United States  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Matías Boeker |  Mark Hlawaty
Brad Weston  | 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 6–4
Loss  | 8–4 | Nov 2004 | Bratislava, Slovakia  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Jonathan Erlich |  Simon Aspelin
Graydon Oliver | 6–7(5–7), 3–6
Loss  | 8–5 | Jul 2005 | Aptos, United States  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Harel Levy |  Nathan Healey
Eric Taino | 5–7, 6–7(4–7)
Win  | 9–5 | Sep 2005 | Istanbul, Turkey  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Harel Levy |  David Škoch
Martin Štěpánek | 6–4, 7–5
Loss  | 9–6 | Jan 2007 | Durban, South Africa  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Stéphane Bohli |  Rik de Voest
Dominik Meffert | 4–6, 2–6
Loss  | 9–7 | May 2007 | Lanzarote, Spain  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Dudi Sela |  Rik de Voest
Luke Bourgeois | 3–6, 1–6
Win  | 10–7 | Jul 2008 | Aptos, United States  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Amir Weintraub |  Todd Widom
Michael Yani | 6–2, 6–1
Loss  | 10–8 | Sep 2008 | Donetsk, Ukraine  | Challenger  | Hard  |  Harel Levy |  Xavier Malisse
Dick Norman | 6–4, 1–6, [11–13]
Win  | 11–8 | Feb 2009 | Israel F2, Eilat | Futures  | Hard  |  Harel Levy |  Tim Van Terheijden
Jürgen Zopp | 6–3, 6–0
Loss  | 11–9 | May 2012 | Israel F8, Ramat HaSharon | Futures  | Hard  |  Noam Behr |  Ti Chen
Marcus Daniell | 6–7(1–7) ret.
Loss  | 11–10 | May 2012 | Israel F9, Ramat HaSharon | Futures  | Hard  |  Aviv Ben Shabat  |  Ti Chen
Marcus Daniell | 0–6, 2–6
Loss  | 11–11 | Oct 2015 | Israel F14, Ramat HaSharon | Futures  | Hard  |  Noam Behr |  Gabor Borsos
Ádám Kellner | 4–6, 6–7(7–9)

## Performance timeline

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Key  W |  F | SF  | QF  | #R  | RR | Q#  | DNQ  | A  | NH

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(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

### Singles

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Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | SR | W–L | Win %

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Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open | A  | 1R | Q3 | 1R | Q2 | Q2 | Q2 | Q1 | Q1 | Q2 | A  | Q2 | 0 / 2  | 0–2  | 0%
French Open | Q1 | A  | Q2 | A  | Q2 | Q1 | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 | Q2 | A  | A  | 0 / 0  | 0–0  |  –
Wimbledon | A  | A  | Q2 | 1R | Q3 | A  | 1R | Q3 | Q1 | A  | A  | Q1 | 0 / 2  | 0–2  | 0%
US Open | Q3 | A  | Q3 | 2R | Q2 | Q2 | Q3 | 2R | Q1 | A  | A  | Q3 | 0 / 2  | 2–2  | 50%
Win–loss  | 0–0  | 0–1  | 0–0  | 1–3  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–1  | 1–1  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0 / 6  | 2–6  | 25%
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Indian Wells Masters | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | Q2 | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | 0 / 0  | 0–0  |  –
Miami Open | A  | A  | A  | Q2 | A  | A  | Q1 | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | 0 / 0  | 0–0  |  –
Canada Masters | A  | A  | A  | Q2 | Q1 | Q2 | 1R | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | 0 / 1  | 0–1  | 0%
Cincinnati Masters | A  | A  | A  | 1R | 2R | Q2 | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | 0 / 2  | 1–2  | 33%
Shanghai Masters | Not Held  | Q2 | A  | 0 / 0  | 0–0  |  –
Win–loss  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–1  | 1–1  | 0–0  | 0–1  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0–0  | 0 / 3  | 1–3  | 25%

### Davis Cup

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Okun was a major force on the Israeli Davis Cup team, playing for it in 1999 and since 2001, going 17–16, and winning both of his matches in Israel's 2006 3–2 victory over Great Britain.[6] His Davis Cup record also includes big wins in live rubbers over Wayne Ferreira, Jarkko Nieminen, and Andreas Seppi.

## See also

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* List of select Jewish tennis players

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Noam Okun | Overview | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
2. ^ "ITC Champions". 29 June 2007. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
3. ^ "AJN | Latest Nicotine News". www.ajn.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008.
4. ^ Davis, Carin (15 August 2002). "Up Front". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
5. ^ a b c "Noam Okun | Player Activity | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
6. ^ "Davis Cup – Players". 21 August 2003. Archived from the original on 21 August 2003.

## External links

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* Noam Okun at the Association of Tennis Professionals
* Noam Okun at the International Tennis Federation
* Noam Okun at the Davis Cup
* Jews in Sports bio