Aside from my mother, Harel was the single biggest influence on my life from age 12 to age 16. This was a pivotal time for me as I had just lost my father. Harel stepped in as coach, mentor and big brother in a way that no one else could. Simply put, I would not be the man I am today without Harel’s guidance. Further, Harel inspired my career path, as I transitioned out of finance and into coaching in my mid 20s. My dream in life is to have the same impact on my players that Harel had on me. If I do that, I know I will have been successful. 

Harel is the epitome of ‘walking the walk’. He earns the respect of his players through his actions. I learned very early on that there was nothing Harel would tell me to do that he couldn’t do himself. From 12-16, he beat me in every game, match, sprint, workout challenge, etc. This had a huge impact on me, as I stood there watching him, thinking, “this guy is an absolute beast.” I knew that I had to be an animal, like Harel, if I wanted to succeed on the tennis court, and in life. As Harel loves to say, “there is no half way…it’s all the way, or it’s nothing”. 

So, thanks to Harel, I learned to go all-in at an early age. I started taking immense pride in the things I could control - outworking my opponents, fitness, shot selection, spending extra time on court getting reps, stretching, eating well, etc. All things that Harel did himself. 

Putting in the relentless work ultimately paid off. I went from a top 20 junior in the nation to top 5. By the time I was 17, I had accepted an offer to play tennis at Duke (turning down Harvard, Stanford, USC, and much to Harel’s dismay, UCLA). 

I ultimately had the opportunity to captain Duke Men’s Tennis team, just like Harel captained the UCLA Men’s Tennis Team. Now, I am coaching at Duke as we make the jump from a consistently top 20 team to a consistent top 5-10 team and conference and national title contender. 

The circumstances are different, but the approach is the same. It’s the Harel approach. No halfway. All the way. I will never look back. Thank you Harel for all the lessons, mentorship, and guidance. I consider myself beyond lucky to have you in my life. My favorite coach and my big brother for life. Kadima!