JOIN US'Win over Nadal isn't everything'
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
“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.”
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.
“IPTL is a great format, it’s very exciting for fans. I have had great games.”
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.