Dudi Sela, the 31-year-old player from Israel, is a highly talented player who has done pretty well for himself considering his height of 1.75 meters. Many would argue, though, that he's an underachiever who could have done better and achieved more than he has achieved so far. It seems his prime is behind him but he still plays his best against the best players and could still upset top players on a good day. 

The Israeli likes playing on grass and would love to do well at Wimbledon but it will be very difficult for him to score even one win at the All England Club seeing the tough draw he got; he'll have to face the 13th seed David Ferrer from Spain in the first round. 

Notable Results to Date

Sela's biggest achievement to date this season is reaching the third round of the Australian Open. In the second round, he beat Fernando Verdasco who beat his compatriot and former champion, Rafael Nadal in the first round. That is, without a doubt, the highlight of his season so far.

	Dudi Sela of Israel plays a forehand in his second round match against Fernando Verdasco of Spain during day four of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 21, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
Sela  plays a forehand in his second round match against Fernando Verdasco of Spain during day four of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 21, 2016  in Melbourne, Australia (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images).

Best Grass Results Leading into Wimbledon

Sela has played two tournaments on grass this season. At s-Hertogenbosch, he defeated American Dennis Novikov in the first round but fell to Ferrer in the second round. In Nottingham, he was close to making the second round after winning the first set against Andreas Seppi, from Italy, but he ended up losing in three sets. 

Best Results at Wimbledon

The Israeli's best result at the All England Club came in 2009 when he reached the fourth round following two impressive wins over German Rainer Schuettler, then ranked 29 in the world, in straight sets in the second round and Spaniard Tommy Robredo, ranked 15 at the time, in four sets in the third round. His dream run ended when he met Novak Djokovic; The Serbian, who was ranked four in the world back then, beat him in straight sets.

Sela plays a backhand during the men's singles third round match against Tommy Robredo of Spain on Day Five of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 26, 2009 in London, England (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images
Sela plays a backhand during the men's singles third round match against Tommy Robredo of Spain on Day Five of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 26, 2009 in London, England (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images).

How Sela's Game Translates to Grass

The 31-year-old Israeli doesn't have a very good serve due to his height of only 1.75 meters and that is a clear disadvantage on grass. However, he makes up for it with good quick feet, good defensive skills, and a crafty game; Sela loves changing the pace and throwing a drop shot or a lob at just the right time and that makes him dangerous on grass.

Sela had a great win on grass over Andy Roddick in 2010 in the third round of the AEGON Championships at the Queen's Club. Roddick was ranked seven in the world at the time and was seeded four in the tournament. That huge upset is another testament to the 31-year-old abilities on grass. 

Sela shakes hands with Andy Roddick of USA after winning their third round match against on Day 4 of the the AEGON Championships at Queen's Club on June 10, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Sela shakes hands with Andy Roddick of USA after winning their third round match against on Day 4 of the AEGON Championships at Queen's Club on June 10, 2010 in London, England (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images).
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A Look at Sela's Wimbledon Draw

As mentioned above, Sela had the misfortune to get the 13th seed Ferrer in the first round.  It's very hard to see him getting through to second round but if he can upset the Spaniard, he will have a manageable second round against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut or British wild-card Brydan Klein. In the third round, he could face the 21st seed German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

If he makes it to fourth round, he will likely to meet world number one and defending champion Djokovic in a rematch of the 2016 fourth round. Defeating him, if he can manage it, would be the greatest achievement of the Israeli's career.

The projected quarterfinal opponent is the sixth seed Canadian Giant Milos Raonic and in the semifinals, he can meet no other than seven-time champion Roger Federer. The fourth seed Swiss Stan Wawrinka and second seed and home favorite Andy Murray are the top seeds in the bottom half of the draw and Sela could meet one of them if by some miracle he makes it to the final after slaying all the dragons in the top half. 

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About the author
Moran Noyman
Hi, my name is Moran and I'm a huge fan of tennis and of Novak Djokovic. I'm a graphic designer but I also love to write and had my own blog about my tennis views (especially on Djokovic).