Rising Israeli tennis star David (Dudi) Sela quit mid-game at the Wuhan Open semifinals taking place in China on Friday, as he was unwilling to play on Yom Kippur.

Sela was down 1-0 in the third set of his quarter-final game with Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine. The first two sets were one each, 6-3 and 4-6.

Sela had asked for the match to begin earlier due to the fast that began at sundown on Friday, but it was still not enough time to complete the game, thus forcing him to withdraw and be knocked out of the tournament.

His actions created quite a buzz on social media while among the frum, “Kiddush Hashem” were the words heard, amid comparison to the famous Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax who refused to play in game one of the 1965 World Series, which fell on Yom Kippur.

David’s brother Ofir wrote a post in which he explained his move. “In the midst of a great moment, which in my opinion would have lead him to victory…”

“In recent days there was talk, not all favorable, that Dudi would play on Yom Kippur, this without even asking Dudi. So behold – as we see Dudi waited patiently to determine if his game would fall on Yom Kippur, and for those who do not know, he asked organizations to prevent this from occurring but they were 1:1 and then suddenly, to the surprise of many, Dudi announced his decision. He told the judge ‘Sorry but I cannot continue. Yom Kippur is beginning’ and I broke a bottle on the wall at that moment.

“Dudi is ranked among the world top players for over a decade. He accomplished this without the support of any sponsor – totally independent. Dudi is not a believer and I will tell you here he does not customarily fast on Yom Kippur. For the first time in his illustrious career, Dudi was compelled to make a difficult choice which will impact his rating in the ATP and a loss of tens of thousands of dollars. No error here – tens of thousands of dollars’.

“He did not have to pull out but he did this nevertheless, not for anyone or due to a fear, not because he was asked to or to find favor. He did this because he respects Yom Kippur and the State whose flag he represents”.

Israel’s Tennis Association released a message “The Tennis Association expresses it appreciation to Dudi for his personal sacrifice and for being proud of Israeli tennis throughout the year”.

Haaretz reports Sela had forfeited $34,000 in prize money and the chance to win 90 ranking points.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)