Wimbledon streaker 1996 pro#

“You could see his head and these dreadlocks and hear that French accent above the crowd walking towards me. I saw this sea of people coming towards the court. “But I was worried about screwing it up and nervous I’d turned up at the wrong court. And I thought it was like the coolest thing in the world. “I loved a guy like Yannick Noah … I was asked to warm him up at the US Open when I was still a junior. Like so many other professionals in the game, it was his father who introduced him to tennis at the age of five and instilled in him a work ethic so strong that he and three other siblings went on to play professionally.īut the experience of seeing other players that looked like him succeed, also had an impact, notably Frenchman Yannick Yoah, who won the French Open in 1983. That’s not necessarily the case at all with tennis on the men’s side.” Guess what? That’s his guy and that’s who he wants to be.

Wimbledon streaker 1996 pro#

“A young Black boy who’s five years old, 10 years old, can turn on the TV Saturday or Sunday during any college football or pro football season, and he can see a ton of players that look a lot like him. “A lot of that has to do with, you know, someone named Federer and Nadal and Djokovic over the past 15 years.”īut it also has a lot to do with what he calls “the numbers game.” “The last American man to reach the final of a major was in 2003, Andy Roddick … I mean, that just shows you how difficult it is not just for people of colour, but for people in general to reach the final of a major. “It’s like catching lightning in a bottle,” says Washington.

He says people underestimate just how difficult it is for a player of any colour to achieve the feat – especially in the era of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the sport’s Big Three.’ Clive Brunskill/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Washington makes a forehand return against Todd Martin during their Wimbledon semifinal in July 1996. “I’m surprised that we don’t have more Americans, period, on the men’s side, but also more Black men who are succeeding at a high level.” It’s unfortunate and a little sad,” Washington told CNN Sport as he reflected on that 24-year record and that it’s also 45 years since a Black American last won Wimbledon. But the feeling of being there on that day, on the cusp of history, lingers on for Washington. The match itself was over in 94 minutes with Krajicek needing only three sets to dismiss his opponent. It was the first time two unseeded players had reached this final, which was also disrupted by an infamous streaker appearance just before the coin toss. On July 7, 1996, Washington strode onto Centre Court beside Dutchman Richard Krajicek for the biggest match of his career: the Wimbledon final. MaliVai Washington is a “little sad.” That’s because he holds a 24-year record that he never expected to possess for so long – he’s the last African-American man to reach a grand slam final.