Israeli tennis player claims Queens Club title with Djokovic.
By JEREMY LASTany ram and yoni erlich 311(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Since splitting up with longtime partner Andy Ram after suffering an elbow injury in 2008, Yoni Erlich has had little success on the doubles circuit.While Ram continued winning alongside various players, it seemed Erlich’s best days were behind him when he returned after a long while away from the courts.However, on Sunday Erlich finally tasted the sweetness of victory once again when he won the doubles tournament at Queens Club in London while playing with star Novak Djokovic. The Israel/Serbian duo began slowly in their match against Karol Beck and David Skoch, losing the first set on a tie break despite taking a 4-1 lead in the breaker.But they stormed back to clinch the second set 6-2 and won the decider 10-3.Erlich was all smiles after the victory and was quick to pay tribute to his new partner. “First of all I want to thank Novak, he wanted to play with me. He’s a good friend, it has been an honor and I have enjoyed every minute,” said Erlich, who played with Dudi Sela at the French Open.And Djokovic, who has had great success as a singles player, winning the Australian Open in 2008, was appreciative of his latest title.“It’s a first grass court title for me, singles or doubles,” he said. “I was lucky to be playing with one of the best players in the world.”Ram, who lost in the semifinals at Roland Garros with Julian Knowle earlier this month, has said he intends to reunite with Erlich next season.Meanwhile, Sam Querrey won an all-American final in the singles tournament on Sunday, beating Mardy Fish 7-6 (3), 7-5.It was seventh-seeded Querrey’s third title of the year, all on different surfaces – he won in Memphis on hardcourt and in Belgrade on clay.
