Rafi Kalifa
Posted July 27th, 2011
Rafi Kalifa, 17.5 years old from the ITC – Jerusalem, was the ITC’s August player of the month. Rafi, who is right handed, practices five times a week, a total of 15 hours on the Competitive Program, with coach Rafi Zidkiyahu.
Rafi started playing when he was nine years old, after he tried once and loved it. His brother Guy started to play when he was 12 and continued on to be a coach until he enlisted in the Army. Rafi’s favorite player is Spain’s Rafael Nadal and aside from tennis he also enjoys playing football and basketball. His game is characterized by his huge motivation and his ability to never give up on a ball. His ambition is to get into College in the United States and to play tennis there.
The past few months has seen Rafi’s family go through a rough time, as his father, David Kalifa, passed away in tragic circumstances in December 2010. His father accompanied him to tournaments and followed his career closely. After he died, the Center took amazing care of Rafi and stayed very close to him until he was ready to start playing tennis again. In July, Rafi won the National Summer Tournament 1 in the U-18 age group.
Rafi Kalifa spoke of the difficult times: “My father always encouraged me during tournaments and after he died I wanted to continue to play in the same way. In the beginning it was very hard for me, but thanks to the support of my mother Zehava and the ITC – Jerusalem, I wanted to give everything so that my father could look down on me and see me happy. I wanted to make my mother and myself happy again. From the day I started playing tennis at the ITC, I always felt like it was a home, so even after I took a break from tennis, I felt the Center’s love and embrace. They gave me so much support and pushed me to keep going, to give everything for tennis. Even when I found it difficult, my coach and the people of the Center, never gave up on me. For many years I have received support and the behavior towards my family is amazing and filled with warmth and love. The manager of the Center, Ilan Maman, takes care of me and I also started working as a coach for children at the Center”.
Ilan Maman: “Rafi grew up here at the ITC – Jerusalem and he is part of the family. He respects those around him and behaves beautifully with remarkable professionalism when it comes to tennis”.
Coach Rafi Zidkiyahu: “Rafi is someone who plays from the soul with a great love for tennis and for the ITC. He is the player of the month thanks to his ongoing commitment to tennis, his social and professional influence on other children and thanks to his victory in the Summer Tournament”.
