Steve Krulevitz

Steve "Lightning" Krulevitz (born May 30, 1951) is an American-Israeli former professional tennis player, and current coach. Playing for UCLA, he was an All-American. He won gold medals for the United States in singles and doubles at the 1977 Maccabiah Games in Israel. He played # 1 for the Israel Davis Cup team from 1978–80. His highest world singles ranking was No. 70. He was in the bottom of the top 100 on the men’s tour from 1974 to 1983.

Early life Krulevitz was born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in Park Heights a few blocks from the Pimlico Race Course, and lives in Brooklandville, Maryland. He became a bar mitzvah at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation. In 1967 he became the youngest Maryland State Men’s champion, at 15 years of age.

Krulevitz attended the Park School of Baltimore ('69) and won the Maryland Scholastic Association Singles Championship four times (1966–69). He won First Team honors in soccer and basketball in 1969. There, he played for the UCLA Bruins tennis team and was named All-American in 1973, along with teammates Brian Teacher, Jeff Austin, and Bob Kreiss.

Professional career Krulevitz was among the top 100 players in the world for from 1974 to 1983. He made it to the 3rd round of Wimbledon and the French Open in 1976, and to the 3rd round of the Australian Open in 1979. In May 1982 he lost in the finals of the Tampere Open, in Finland.

In May 1974 Krulevitz defeated world No. 25 Raul Ramirez in Rome, Italy. In March 1976 he beat world No. 21 Vijay Amritraj in Palm Springs, California.

Davis Cup Krulevitz played # 1 for the Israel Davis Cup team from 1978–1980, and coached that Davis Cup team as well. He was 4–5 in Davis Cup competition for Israel. He led the Greyhounds to a 12th-place finish at the high school national championships in Kentucky, and a 16th-place finish at the 2016 National Invitational Boys High School Team Tennis Tournament, located in Newport Beach, California. He also led the team to eight consecutive A Conference titles in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. The team set an MIAA record for most consecutive titles, set a record for most championships in the year history of the league, and set a new school record for most consecutive championships in its 60-year history.

Krulevitz founded the Krulevitz Tennis Program in 1984, with two 16-week indoor sessions for players of all ages from September through April and a 10-week outdoor camp June through August, with 90 students per week. It describes his life growing up in Baltimore, and as a professional tennis player.