SA-born duo ready for Israel’s Pickleball World Cup

Tanya Silverman and Janine Berzen are still pinching themselves after winning gold at an international pickleball tournament in Vietnam. The South African-born pair danced and sang on the podium after taking first place in the over-60 women’s doubles 3.5 division while representing Team Israel. 

“We were so excited that we actually won the finals,” said Silverman. “We have to pinch ourselves that we won gold.” 

The tournament was held ahead of the 2026 Pickleball World Cup, which begins on Friday in Vietnam and in which Silverman and Berzen are also set to compete. 

Their partnership has developed around an understanding of each other’s game, built through regular play and training. “We have the most amazing chemistry,” said Silverman. “We can be totally honest with each other.” 

Berzen plays on the right side of the court, while Silverman plays on the left. Berzen said she sets Silverman up to play the ball, while Silverman creates pressure and takes opportunities when they arise. “We just know,” said Silverman. “She knows when to leave a ball for me, I know when to leave balls for her.” 

They also emphasised the importance of encouraging each other when mistakes happen. “There’s no apologies or anything like that,” Silverman said. “We all make mistakes. We pump each other up.” 

Their preparation began several weeks before the tournament. The Israeli team trained together twice a week for about three to four weeks, working with two coaches who provided guidance and introduced specific shots and exercises. 

The women also continued playing their regular social games and practised with the partners they would have in the tournament. Silverman added her own fitness programme to the preparation. She exercises almost every day, including weight training, high-intensity exercise, and squats. 

Berzen plays pickleball two or three times a week and does some additional workouts. Both women work full-time, meaning their pickleball preparation has to fit around their professional and home lives. 

Silverman is a senior tour operator in Tel Aviv, working with pilgrim groups visiting Israel, arranging bookings, itineraries, hotels, and travel requirements. Berzen is a paralegal for a patent attorneys’ company. Her work includes filings in Israel and the United States. 

Their sporting careers began long before pickleball. Both are former tennis players, and their South African upbringing played a significant role in their relationship with sport. “We were brought up, we lived there for so many years before we made aliya, and it was all about sports,” Berzen said. 

Silverman said she has played tennis since she was young and also played squash. She described sport as a strong part of her family background, with her father and other family members having been top tennis players in South Africa. One of her cousins played mixed doubles at Wimbledon in the 1950s. “I was brought up on the tennis courts,” she said. 

The pair also believe their South African upbringing influenced their approach to competition. “We grew up tough in South Africa,” Silverman said. 

Their moves to Israel gave both women a new sporting route. Berzen had continued playing squash after making aliya, before a fellow squash player introduced her to pickleball. Silverman turned to pickleball after experiencing a tennis calf injury. She discovered the new sport while scrolling on Facebook and later took lessons. 

Pickleball is a paddle sport that has some similarities to tennis. It is played on a smaller court and uses a paddle and a perforated plastic ball. The sport has grown internationally and offers competitive divisions based on age and playing ability. 

For Silverman and Berzen, the latest tournament has provided another opportunity to represent Israel while maintaining a connection to their South African past. 

They are not the only South African-born players competing for Israel. The women mentioned fellow South African-Israeli player Martin Stein, who won a bronze medal in his division at the tournament. 

The Israeli pickleball community is relatively small, although the women said the sport is growing. Israel entered the Pickleball World Cup for only the second time this year. The international tournament in Vietnam therefore carried significance for the Israeli team. “It’s not the World Cup per se, but it’s an international tournament and it’s still a big deal,” Silverman said. 

The gold medal has not ended their tournament schedule. Silverman and Berzen will continue playing together when the World Cup begins, and expect the competition to be considerably tougher. 

The World Cup’s over-60 category is not restricted to the 3.5 rating level used in their international tournament. They could face players with ratings of 5.2 or 5.5, including highly experienced and professional-level competitors. “We’re ready,” Berzen said. “We’re ready for action.” 

The pair said their success is part of a wider group effort by Israeli players. During their time in Vietnam, they supported South African players they encountered at the competition. For Berzen, that connection remains part of the experience of representing Israel. 

Silverman and Berzen have already experienced standing on a podium with gold medals around their necks. They now face a new challenge against a broader field. Their first international tournament title has given them confidence, but they know the World Cup will test them differently. “We deserved it,” Silverman said of their gold medal. “We worked hard. It wasn’t easy.” 

For two South African-born women who discovered pickleball in Israel, the result marks a stage in a journey that has taken them from South African courts to a podium in Vietnam.