<p> Dustin Brown, his waist length dreadlocks spraying all over, catches your attention instantly on court. His conquer of former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal twice has evinced considerable interest towards him, be it his roots or his journey of over a decade in the tennis world. After he took out Nadal in Wimbledon this year, Brown’s pistol serve, zipping off the grass cover of the hallowed venue, being a standout feature.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Although proud of the achievement, Brown doesn’t prefer to indulge in it. He has new goals, he doesn’t wish to be defined by a cluster of wins. He wants to move on. Neither does he prefer to brood on the prevalent racism in Germany to which Brown, who is of Jamaican-German descent, has had his fair share. Could his popularity make a difference now? Brown isn’t hopeful.<br /><br />“Some people watch tennis, some people don’t. Obviously it’s not that easy and there are people who don’t watch sport at all. Generally, it (racism) is an issue. I think it should not be an issue but me playing tennis or anything like that is not going to change it,” Brown told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />Brown, ranked 82, would be frank enough to admit that his winning record over Nadal wasn’t a career-changing statistic. He had beaten him in Gerry Weber Open, also a grass court event, last year.<br /><br /> “Obviously it was one of the bigger wins of my career. But everyday you have to go out there and play normal matches, have to take a few chances to make points. Nothing really changes, you have to go out there match by match and keep playing,” he said.<br /><br /> “But it was a good year even though there were some tough losses. I look forward to start in Doha and go up in the rankings and hopefully do well in Australia.”<br /><br /> The 31-year-old, meanwhile, is enjoying his maiden stint with International Premier Tennis League. He, however, has been to India before being a regular at the ATP Chennai Open. “I started playing in Chennai, there were not many people in there, but besides that it was a lot of fun. I like playing there but you don’t get too much time to spend in a city. You just keep moving,” he said.<br /><br /> “IPTL is a great format, it’s very exciting for fans. I have had great games.”<br /> Brown believes he still has a lot to offer. “I have been one of the older guys on tour, I had started in 2002. I still think I am playing very good tennis. You keep developing, don’t think there will be any big changes in my tennis, that’s how I am playing and playing successfully, so I just have to go out there and give my best,” he said.<br /><br /></p>
<p> Dustin Brown, his waist length dreadlocks spraying all over, catches your attention instantly on court. His conquer of former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal twice has evinced considerable interest towards him, be it his roots or his journey of over a decade in the tennis world. After he took out Nadal in Wimbledon this year, Brown’s pistol serve, zipping off the grass cover of the hallowed venue, being a standout feature.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Although proud of the achievement, Brown doesn’t prefer to indulge in it. He has new goals, he doesn’t wish to be defined by a cluster of wins. He wants to move on. Neither does he prefer to brood on the prevalent racism in Germany to which Brown, who is of Jamaican-German descent, has had his fair share. Could his popularity make a difference now? Brown isn’t hopeful.<br /><br />“Some people watch tennis, some people don’t. Obviously it’s not that easy and there are people who don’t watch sport at all. Generally, it (racism) is an issue. I think it should not be an issue but me playing tennis or anything like that is not going to change it,” Brown told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />Brown, ranked 82, would be frank enough to admit that his winning record over Nadal wasn’t a career-changing statistic. He had beaten him in Gerry Weber Open, also a grass court event, last year.<br /><br /> “Obviously it was one of the bigger wins of my career. But everyday you have to go out there and play normal matches, have to take a few chances to make points. Nothing really changes, you have to go out there match by match and keep playing,” he said.<br /><br /> “But it was a good year even though there were some tough losses. I look forward to start in Doha and go up in the rankings and hopefully do well in Australia.”<br /><br /> The 31-year-old, meanwhile, is enjoying his maiden stint with International Premier Tennis League. He, however, has been to India before being a regular at the ATP Chennai Open. “I started playing in Chennai, there were not many people in there, but besides that it was a lot of fun. I like playing there but you don’t get too much time to spend in a city. You just keep moving,” he said.<br /><br /> “IPTL is a great format, it’s very exciting for fans. I have had great games.”<br /> Brown believes he still has a lot to offer. “I have been one of the older guys on tour, I had started in 2002. I still think I am playing very good tennis. You keep developing, don’t think there will be any big changes in my tennis, that’s how I am playing and playing successfully, so I just have to go out there and give my best,” he said.<br /><br /></p>
