Gilad Bloom
tennis
Country Represented:
Israel
Years Competed:
1988, 1992
Olympic Info:
Bloom, one of Israel's top tennis players in the 1980s and 1990s, competed in the men's singles event at two Olympiads. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he was defeated in the first round by Jeremy Bates in a thrilling five-set match (6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 7-9).
Gilad returned to the Olympics four years later at the 1992 Barcelona Games, and reached the second round of the competition. He defeated Marian Vajda of Czechoslovakia in the first round in straight sets (7-6, 6-1, 6-0), but then lost straight sets in the second round to the No. 1 seed, American Jim Courier (2-6, 0-6, 0-6).
Career Highlights:
In the 1980s and 1990s, Bloom was one of Israel's best tennis players, advancing as far as the fourth round at the 1990 U.S. Open. Although he never won a singles title, Bloom had a career record of 92-122 and competed in all four Grand Slam events (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open). He turned professional in 1984, and his best year was 1990 when he had a record of 27-22 in singles matches. That year, he achieved his highest year-end ranking at No. 67 in the world. Bloom retired from the professional circuit in 1995.
Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 1, 1967
Origin:
Tel Aviv, Israel