Israel’s Rising Tennis Star Dan Brand Aims for the Top
While Israeli sports fans have been glued to soccer, baseball, and Deni Avdija’s rise in the NBA, the country’s most intriguing new story might be unfolding far from the spotlight, on distant practice courts and junior draws around the world.
From Kfar Saba, 17-year-old Dan Brand is edging toward the top of junior tennis. No noise, no hype. Just results.
Ranked No. 24 in the world in junior boys, the right-hander has already walked through the gates of Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, competing in both singles and doubles at each Grand Slam. He reached the second round in both disciplines on the grass of London and will now take his growing game to New York for the US Open juniors, which begin September 8 in Queens.
At Roland Garros, Brand’s introduction to the Paris clay at junior Slam level came with a hard lesson and a hint of promise. He pushed France’s Mathys Domenc to three sets before bowing out 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of singles. In doubles, alongside American Safir Azam, he advanced to the quarterfinals, a sign that his all-court instincts are already translating in the pressure of major events.
For those who know Israeli tennis, the buzz around him is real.
“Dan is absolutely our next hope,” says Yoni Erlich, Israel’s Davis Cup captain and tennis director at the Israel Tennis and Education Centers. Erlich sees a player on the verge of a breakthrough: “He is on the right track to be in the top 20 for juniors. He had a few very nice wins in a men’s Futures tournament a few weeks ago, where he reached the quarterfinals. So hopefully in the next few years, we can see another Grand Slam player. We can only hope and be patient.”
A Nation Waiting for Its Next Star
Israeli tennis has been waiting a long time for a new standard-bearer.
Shahar Peer reached No. 11 in the world in 2011, the highest singles ranking for any Israeli player. Before her, the men’s doubles team of Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich climbed to No. 5 in the world in July 2008, just after lifting the Australian Open men’s doubles title. Go further back and you reach Amos Mansdorf, Israel’s greatest men’s singles player, who peaked at No. 18 in November 1987.
Mansdorf now stands courtside again, this time as Brand’s coach and guide.
He has worked with Brand since the boy was 12. “It is nice to see him coming along and moving in a nice direction. He plays clever tennis and is quite good all around,” Mansdorf says. He describes his pupil as “nice, quiet, low-key, hard-working, and dedicated,” and, crucially for the elite level, as someone who “doesn’t panic.”
The veteran knows what it takes to live in the top 20. For Brand, his target is clear and measured: a place inside the top 50 on the men’s professional tour. To get there, Mansdorf wants him to add weight and bite to an already solid base.
“He likes to compete, and does everything well. We are hoping he will get stronger; he still [is] young. In the future, we want him to have all the weapons for pro play – a big serve with enough power and precision to stay in with good players.”
Given Brand’s trajectory, Mansdorf expects the teen will likely receive a deferment from the IDF and head to “a good US college,” using the college route and tour events to bridge the gap from junior promise to professional relevance.
From Bored by Jiu-Jitsu to Hooked on Tennis
The Brand story almost never happened.
Dan grew up as a soccer player. His father, Shai, a lawyer specializing in torts and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who once won two world titles, tried to steer his son onto the mats. The verdict from Dan? “Too boring.”
Tennis came next, almost by accident, through school.
A coach quickly spotted something different. “I trained hundreds of kids; your son is something special,” he told Shai, urging him to put Dan into a national competition. Shai hesitated. It felt too soon.
But the signs didn’t fade. As Dan’s talent became harder to ignore, Shai approached Mansdorf. The former world No. 18 began working privately with the boy and later became head coach at the Ra’anana City Tennis Center, a short drive from the family home in Kfar Saba.
Shai takes quiet pride in the fact that his son has stayed rooted in a local club, rather than decamping to a high-end academy in Europe. No “fancy club,” no glossy setup. Just a home base, familiar courts, and a coach with world-class experience.
A Father on the Road, a Teenager Still in School
As Brand’s ranking has risen, so has the travel. Futures events, junior Slams, ITF tournaments across continents – the calendar is unforgiving. Shai often travels with his son, keeping an eye on his health and security. When he cannot make a trip, he taps into a network of contacts abroad who help look out for Dan.
Despite the constant movement, the 17-year-old still belongs to a regular school in Israel. He studies on the road, teaches himself much of the material, and returns home to sit exams. He laughs that his mother, Ruth, a speech therapist, is “pretty smart” and helps him with math and other subjects.
Dan is the eldest of three. His brother Nadav is 15, his sister Shira is 10. “Dan’s got his mother’s calm,” Shai notes, a trait that serves him well in tight third sets and long travel days alike.
When the Magazine caught up with him, Brand had just finished a driving lesson in Israel before flying to the International Tennis Federation’s Grand Slam Player Development Program at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland. Only a select group of players receive that invitation; Brand is among the few Israelis to do so.
A Teen Like Any Other – Until the First Serve
Strip away the ranking, the travel, the Grand Slam credentials, and Brand still sounds like a teenager.
He likes playing basketball. He enjoys hanging out with friends and spending time with his family. His close circle, he says, “treat me the same as before,” even as his face begins to pop up on television screens and social media feeds.
On tour, he has built friendships with peers from around the world. He says he has not encountered antisemitic incidents so far. Instead, some fellow players ask him about the situation in Israel and listen as he explains.
On court, he sees himself as “a solid player and a counter-puncher.” He knows where he must improve: becoming more aggressive, adding speed to his serve, sharpening his weapons. He calls himself “a pretty focused, chill guy,” a description that fits the way he moves through matches and interviews alike.
Grass has already become a favorite surface. “It’s not a surface you play on every day,” he says, enjoying the rarity and challenge of it. His tennis idol is Novak Djokovic, and the reason is telling. “I like his mentality. He is so focused on the match!” Brand admires the intensity and mental steel that have brought Djokovic 101 ATP Tour-level singles titles, 24 Grand Slam titles, and an Olympic gold medal – the exact traits he wants to grow in his own game.
Staying Humble While the Results Pile Up
Despite the attention, Shai insists his son has remained grounded. Classmates now see Dan on TV and hear about his results. The reaction at school? Curiosity, pride – but no celebrity bubble.
“He’s a good example. He will play with, and talk with, everyone. He is shy,” Shai says. For the father, the way people respond to his son matters more than any trophy. “Everywhere he goes, people fall in love with his son and say, ‘Dan is amazing.’ This is more important to me than the tournaments.”
That does not mean the tennis gets ignored. Shai lights up when he recalls one of Dan’s standout wins: a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jordan Lee in the final of the J300 Charleroi-Marcinelle/Astrid Bowl Charleroi Belgian International Championships in May. Lee is ranked No. 8 in the world and recently won the Wimbledon junior title. Beating him decisively in a final underlines just how high Brand’s ceiling might be.
Between the IDF, College, and the Tour
As Brand’s results improve, US colleges are circling. At the same time, the question of army service looms, as it does for every Israeli teenager.
Shai says his son may receive “ilui” (prodigy) status from the army – a step beyond the “sportai mitstayen” (outstanding athlete) designation granted to many top sportspeople. Outstanding athletes often perform desk jobs in the IDF so they can continue to train. “Iluim,” by contrast, receive exemptions, seen as serving their country through their international achievements.
Despite this, Shai, whose own family has a strong military tradition – both he and his father served as IDF combat soldiers – believes Dan will serve at some point.
He admits that “after Oct. 7, you can feel people turning their backs on you.” Dan has reached out to some European players about possible doubles partnerships and has yet to receive replies. Players from the US, South America, and Asia, on the other hand, have been responsive and warm.
Through it all, Shai remains proud that his son continues to carry the Israeli flag, even when “a kid with a flag [of Israel]” can feel like a target. Dan had the chance to represent Germany, thanks to a German passport via his maternal grandfather. The financial support would have been stronger. The answer was simple: no. “He wants to do it the hard way,” Shai says.
Backing From Home as New York Awaits
As the US Open juniors approach, Brand is sharpening his game at the ITF’s pre-tournament program in Maryland. Mansdorf will not be in New York, but Brand will not be alone.
Shai will be there. So will Danny Perekalsky, CEO of the Israel Tennis Association (ITA), who has become one of the teenager’s strongest advocates.
“Dan is a really great kid. He shows a great mentality and behavior on and off the court, and he is a really great example for other kids with his behavior and style,” Perekalsky says.
He rattles off Brand’s recent highlights: tournament wins in Thailand and Belgium; a strong showing at the ITF M15 event in Astana, Kazakhstan, from August 3-9, where Brand earned ATP ranking points by reaching the round of 16 and defeating fellow Israeli Oren Shimanov 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. “He has really made a big jump in the last six months!”
The ITA has thrown its weight behind Brand, alongside sponsors such as Rav Bariach, the Israeli company known for its security doors and high-end locking systems. The Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel’s National Center for Physical Education and Sport, has also taken him under its wing. “He is now under their care,” says Shai. “I am just looking out for my son as a father.”
Perekalsky is convinced this is only the beginning. “We are proud to support Dan and to have such a developing talent! Bravo also to Dan’s family and to coach Mansdorf. Amos is doing a great job with Dan. It is not a coincidence he is achieving the results he has been in the past six months.”
He goes one step further with his prediction: Brand could be in the top 10 of the junior rankings by January, if his form holds and older players age out of the category.
“Israeli is waiting to have something to be proud of in tennis,” Perekalsky says. “And we need more than one Dan. We are proud, but it is only a start!”
The next test comes in New York, under the bright lights and swirling noise of the US Open. For now, Israel’s new hope walks into it the same way he has moved through every step so far – quietly, calmly, with his head down and his eyes fixed on the next ball.
