But Oliel, who as the fifth seed at the Abierto Juvenil Mexicano this week won his first round match 6:1 6:1 against Brazilian qualifier Joao Ferreira on Tuesday, is not a new name in the game.
The talented left-hander first came to notice for winning the 12-and-under and 14-and-under Orange Bowl titles in 2012 and 2014, respectively. The fact that he was a young boy with hair that swept below his shoulders helped to catch the eye of many – he recently did the unthinkable and had a haircut, donating his hair to a charity that makes wigs for children with cancer.
Oliel, who is currently enjoying a career high ranking of No. 30, is member of the David Squad, a group of Israeli Jewish and Arab tennis hopefuls funded by British-Jewish real estate businessman and philanthropist David Coffer. The term David Squad, however, doesn’t refer to the gentleman incurring the financial burden to give these teens a shot at their dream, but to Israel’s historical King David.
Read the full article by Sandra Harwitt on the International Tennis Federation site here.