Dustin Brown shares the story of 'Dreddy Tennis' on Second Serve
The kid from Germany with Jamaican roots did whatever he could to chase his dream, crafting one of the most exciting playing styles the game has ever seen in the process.
Dustin Brown always gave the fans a reason to watch. His unique brand of tennis captivated the spectators, home viewers, and his opponents alike, because you simply didn’t know what was going to come next. Yet it almost didn’t happen for Brown, as the rising costs of the sport almost derailed his journey before it began.
On Tennis Channel 2’s “Second Serve,” Brown joined Nick Monroe, Jimmy Arias, Tracy Austin and host Geoff Chizever to explain how the kid with a German mother and Jamaican father scratched and clawed his way to the tennis promised land: a moment at Wimbledon that will live eternally.
Brown spent time in Germany and Jamaica as a kid and excelled at several different sports. But his passion for tennis superseded everything else, and he chased that dream with a passion. Brown may have lacked the resources, but he didn’t lack the determination. He traveled in a Volkswagen camper and worked as a racquet stringer for additional income.
“My mom actually had the idea of the caravan, the camper. Losing first round in the future I think back then was $117.50 US dollars, and that was basically enough money to put gas into the camper and go to the next tournament,” Brown recalled. “And I was stringing racquets for other players. I think the local stringer was taking 10 euros, and I took five,” he continued.
“Different times, but it’s what got me here.”
I was stringing racquets for other players. I think the local stringer was taking 10 euros, and I took five. Different times, but it’s what got me here.
The journey was arduous, but Brown made it to the big leagues. He reached a career high ranking of No. 64 in singles and won a pair doubles titles in his lengthy career. He earned the right to compete in all four of the majors, and authored one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history in 2015.
The stage was the hallowed grounds of the All England Club, and his opponent was Rafael Nadal in the second round. Brown did the unthinkable and defeated the Spanish legend in four exhilarating sets.
“I’m happy that I pulled it off and kept everything together. What’s the point in rallying with him from the baseline?” he said with a smile. “What my coach said at the time is, ‘You’re up two points, you’re hitting two first serves.”’
Brown earned a lot of respect that day, and he continued to earn the admiration of his peers and fans alike through his playing style and approach to the game. There wasn’t one specific moment when he felt like he belonged on the ATP, but as he explained to Monroe, eventually he trusted that his tennis put him right alongside the very best tennis players in the world.
“Any of the guys that were in the top that I beat, I got them out of their comfort zone and forced them to play my tennis,” Brown explained. “And I also had to accept that there would be days that the balls would be flying all over the place. But then some days, more towards the end, the balls were going in more.
"I think accepting that and my type of game helped me a lot.”
Fans who thoroughly enjoyed the way Dustin Brown lit up a tennis court while enjoy this interview on Second Serve. He discusses the end of his playing career, transitioning into life after tennis, and the people that he looked up to when he first began his love affair with the game.
You always learn something new on Second Serve—and with Dustin Brown, class is in session.