Why Dustin Brown is winning hearts at Wimbledon
He is lanky. His profile photo on Wimbledon’s official site has his long, lovely dreadlocked hair tucked in a tam headwear. His appearance suggests someone who appears more at ease in Hampi, Aramabol or Kasauli than on the Centre Court. He spent over three years living and travelling across Europe in a VW camper van to participate in tournaments. He came to the post-match press conference wearing a Superman T-shirt. Just because. He played a four-hour long doubles match the day before he scored perhaps the biggest win of his career. Meet the 30-year-old Jamaican-German Dustin Brown aka @DreddyTennis on Twitter.
On Thursday evening, Brown played not to prove himself to the gathered audience who initially were more taken in by his appearance. It took him just a game, which he won to love, to show that there’s more to him. He didn’t care he was the underdog here. He had beaten Rafael Nadal before so it’s not that he didn’t know how it’s done or lacked self belief. Our ignorance was his bliss and he thrived on it. Dressed in a sleeveless T-shirt and a tongue piercing to boast, he repeatedly broke into a smile. It wasn’t a cheeky one. It was just Brown enjoying himself like a musician does jamming in his basement. He struck deadly, speedy returns. He hit ridiculous drop shots, which left Nadal chasing the ball in vain. The camera loved him. So did the guys in the studio who showed slow-motion replays of him with his hair, which he hasn’t cut since he was 17, flying all over the place. Brown was an anomaly worth cheering for. More so as he transported viewers into another era of tennis where the serve-and-volley game was the order of the day.
The crowd at Centre Court was gobsmacked with the flair and devil-may-care attitude of a guy whose body language suggested that this wasn’t the most important match of his life but just a walk in the park. His victory is no one-hit-wonder moment. He switches between subtle touch and power play effortlessly. Brown’s strength is that he is unpredictable. He will hit a delicate volley and then follow it up with a wayward forehand. It’s a pity that Nadal has to encounter colourful characters like Brown especially at Wimbledon. Last year, it was Aussie sensation Nick Kyrgios. Before that it was Lukas Rosol.
But now is not the time to analyse the struggles of a revered player. Instead let’s celebrate the performance of Brown, the rasta man of tennis. He who pulled off one trick shot after another. Who thumped his heart to say "Yes, I can. No, this isn’t a dream." Who touched the face tattooed on the side of his torso – is it the legendary Bob Marley, reggae artist Dennis Brown or Brown’s father Leroy we are still debating – after he won. Mr Brown, it’s your day in the spotlight. Live it to the fullest.