MaliVai Washington
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| MaliVai Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
|
| Residence | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA | |
| Date of birth | June 20, 1969 | |
| Place of birth | Glen Cove, New York, USA | |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg/12.5 st) | |
| Turned pro | 1989 | |
| Retired | 1999 | |
| Plays | Right-handed | |
| Career prize money | $3,239,865 | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record: | 254–184 | |
| Career titles: | 4 | |
| Highest ranking: | 11 (October 26, 1993) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| Australian Open | QF (1994) | |
| French Open | 4R (1993) | |
| Wimbledon | F (1996) | |
| US Open | 4R (1992) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record: | 27–44 | |
| Career titles: | 0 | |
| Highest ranking: | 172 (20 April 1992) | |
|
Infobox last updated on: January 24, 2007. |
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MaliVai 'Mal' Washington (first name pronounced /mælɨˈviːə/ mal-i-VEE-a) (born June 20, 1969, in Glen Cove, New York) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He is best remembered for reaching the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1996.
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[edit] Family
MaliVai's father, William, taught himself and then his five children to play tennis. When William was the assistant dean at the State University of New York, he decided to teach underprivileged children in the area how to play tennis on the university's new courts. When the family moved to Flint, Michigan, they played on the courts at General Motors headquarters, where MaliVai's parents worked.
MaliVai's younger sister, Mashona Washington, is also an accomplished professional tennis player. She was a member of the 1992 U.S. National Team.[clarify] His younger brother, Mashiska, played on the men's tour after gaining 1995 All-America honors at Michigan State University, archrival of MaliVai's alma mater, the University of Michigan. MaliVai's older sister, Michaela, also played proficiently on the women's professional tour, leaving to start a family after receiving her degree in Anthropology from DePaul University.[1]
[edit] Amateur tennis
Washington began playing tennis at the age of five after his family moved to Michigan. Growing up in Swartz Creek, Michigan, MaliVai worked on his game and trained at the indoor Genesee Valley Tennis Club in nearby Flint, Michigan. As a teenager, he played on the junior circuit and competed in the USTA national junior championships, facing future world-class players like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, and Todd Martin.
During his senior year of high school, Washington lived and trained with his coach, Victor Amaya, a former ATP Tour player. For two seasons, he played tennis for the University of Michigan and was the top ranked college player in the United States at the end of his sophomore season.[citation needed] He left school and turned professional in 1989.
[edit] Professional tennis
His first notable tour result came in 1990, when he defeated Ivan Lendl in straight-sets in the second round of the tournament at New Haven, Connecticut. Just a week earlier, Lendl had lost the World No. 1 ranking to Stefan Edberg, and he would have regained it if he had won that match.
Washington won his first top-level singles title in 1992 at Memphis, Tennessee.
In 1996, Washington reached his first (and only) Grand Slam final at Wimbledon. He was the first African-American male to reach the Wimbledon final since Arthur Ashe in 1975. In the final, he lost to the Dutch player Richard Krajicek 6–3, 6–4, 6–3.
During his career, Washington won four tour singles titles. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 11 in 1992.
The later years of Washington's career were plagued by injuries, and he retired from the professional tour in 1999. Since retiring, he has served as a TV analyst with ESPN, and as an on court interviewer for the USTA during the US Open.
[edit] Accolades
MaliVai received the 1997 Boys and Girls Clubs of America CARE Award.
In 1998, he was honored with the Arthur Ashe Athletic Association Leadership Award.
Washington also played on the US Davis Cup team in 1992.
[edit] Grand Slam singles final
[edit] Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1996 | Wimbledon |  Richard Krajicek |
6–3, 6–4, 6–3 |
[edit] ATP Tour finals (14)
[edit] Singles champion (4)
| Leyenda |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Tour (4) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 February 1992 | Memphis, USA | Hard (i) |  Wayne Ferreira |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 2. | 4 May 1992 | Charlotte, USA | Clay |  Claudio Mezzadri |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 3. | 10 October 1994 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | Carpet (i) |  Arnaud Boetsch |
4–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 4. | 15 April 1996 | Bermuda | Clay |  Marcelo Filippini |
6–7(6), 6–4, 7–5 |
[edit] Singles finalist (9)
- 1992: Auckland (lost to Jaime Yzaga)
- 1992: Tampa (lost to Jaime Yzaga)
- 1992: Manchester (lost to Jacco Eltingh)
- 1992: New Haven (lost to Stefan Edberg)
- 1993: Auckland (lost to Alexander Volkov)
- 1993: Key Biscayne AMS (lost to Pete Sampras)
- 1995: Ostrava (lost to Wayne Ferreira)
- 1995: Essen AMS (lost to Thomas Muster)
- 1996: Wimbledon (lost to Richard Krajicek)
[edit] Doubles finalist (1)
- 1995: Bogotá (with Steve Campbell, lost to Jiří Novák and David Rikl)
