Have you ever been intrigued by Stefanos Tsitsipas and Naomi Osaka’s interactions on social media? If so, this is the Tennis United episode for you!

Tsitsipas and Osaka joined co-hosts Vasek Pospisil and Bethanie Mattek-Sands on the show’s 11th episode, which will premiere Friday on the ATP Tour’s Facebook page, to chat about the origins of their friendship and how they have developed an understanding of one another.

“I think it was February 2018,” Tsitsipas recalled.

“That’s very precise!” Osaka replied.

I’m done being shy. It’s really a waste of my time. I could’ve shared so many ideas by now, I could’ve had convos with so many different people. All the things I could’ve learned ??‍♀️ but no I’m over here actually putting my own limiter on myself.

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) May 5, 2020

In May, Osaka tweeted that, “I’m done being shy”, which Tsitsipas retweeted.

“I get it, and I saw a lot of realism and pragmatism to that. I thought to myself, ‘That’s really pure. That’s real,’” Tsitsipas said. “I would like to retweet it for the world to see because coming out of your shell and expressing yourself and just sharing your ideas and whatever you feel in that given moment, I found it quite inspiring, to be honest.”

Tsitsipas and Osaka later answer the big questions, like whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza.

Also in this episode, new fathers Mike Bryan, Jeremy Chardy, Marius Copil and Sam Querrey reflect on becoming a parent ahead of their first Father’s Day. WTA players Greet Minnen and Alison Van Uytvanck discuss their relationship during Pride Month, and Alex de Minaur does a Crossfit workout.

Any way that you want to slice it – titles, matches, sets, games, or points – Roger Federer has no peer on a grass court.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the best performers on grass courts from 1991-2019 identifies that the Swiss Maestro sits alone at the top of the mountain with peak performance in all five facets of the game. The data set is comprised of 277 players who played a minimum of 20 grass court matches from 1991, when official ATP statistics were first recorded. The only exception is grass court titles, which includes tournaments in the Open Era since 1968.

1. Grass Court Titles = 19

Federer has amassed an unparalleled 19 titles on grass, including a record eight Wimbledon titles, 10 in Halle, and one in Stuttgart. It’s jaw-dropping to know that Federer has won more grass-court titles than Pete Sampras (10) and John McEnroe (8) combined.

Federer’s first Wimbledon title came in 2003, defeating Mark Philippoussis 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(3) in the final. Serve-and-volley tennis was a key to Federer’s run as he won a dominant 68.1 per cent (213/313) of points rushing straight to the net after a serve. Federer served and volleyed 313 times out of 545 first and second-serve points, good for a head-turning 57 per cent.

Those tactical metrics are in stark contrast to his run to the Wimbledon final in 2019, where he served and volleyed just 72 times from 643 first and second-serve points, which was just 11 per cent of total serve points.

The leading players with the most grass court titles in the Open era are:

1. Roger Federer = 19
2. Pete Sampras = 10
3. Jimmy Connors = 9
T4. John McEnroe = 8
T4. Andy Murray = 8
T4. Ken Rosewall = 8
T4. Stan Smith = 8
T4. Lleyton Hewitt = 8

2. Grass-Court Matches = 87.3%

Federer has won 87.3 per cent (185/212) of his grass-court matches, including 41 straight at Wimbledon from 2003 to the 2008 final, where Rafael Nadal snapped the streak by defeating Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7. During that six-year period, Federer won 66 straight matches on grass at Halle and Wimbledon combined.

The leading five players who have won the highest percentage of grass-court matches are:

1. Roger Federer = 87.4% (185/212)
2. Pete Sampras = 85.7% (90/105)
3. Novak Djokovic = 84.1% (95/113)
4. Andy Murray = 82.6% (100/121)
5. Michael Stich = 81.0% (47/58)

3. Grass-Court Sets = 80.1%

Federer is the only player in the data set to win at least eight grass-court sets out of every 10 played. Only three times at Halle (2017, 2008, 2004) and once at Wimbledon (2017) did Federer win the title without dropping a set, signifying just how difficult it is to be always on your game.

The leading five players with grass-court sets won are:

1. Roger Federer = 80.1% (494/617)
2. Pete Sampras = 77.5% (248/320)
3. Andy Murray = 76.0% (269/354)
4. Novak Djokovic = 75.9% (271/357)
5. Andy Roddick = 72.3% (214/296)

4. Grass-Court Games = 58.9%

Federer boasts a slight lead of less than one percentage point in this area over arch-rival Djokovic. Head-to-head at Wimbledon, Djokovic has won three finals (2019, 2015 & 2014) against Federer, while the Swiss triumphed in 2012 in the semi-finals against the Serbian.

The leading five players with grass-court games won are:

1. Roger Federer = 58.9% (3679/6248)
2. Novak Djokovic = 58.1% (2046/3251)
3. Andy Murray = 57.9% (2013/3476)
4. Pete Sampras = 57.7% (1856/3216)
5. Rafael Nadal = 56.8% (1677/2953)

5. Grass-Court Points (54.7%)

Federer played more than twice the amount of grass-court matches (212-105) than Sampras, but when the focus shifts from big picture to small, Federer leads Sampras by just one-tenth of a percentage point with points won. Overall, Federer has played by far the most points on grass at 37,968, while Hewitt sits in second place at 26,178.

The leading five players with percentage of points won on grass are:

1. Roger Federer = 54.7% (20,775/37,968)
2. Pete Sampras = 54.6% (11,693/21,402)
3. Novak Djokovic = 54.0% (11,864/21,964)
4. Richard Krajicek = 54.0% (9163/16/981)
5. Andy Murray = 53.8% (11609/21,565)

We will have to wait until the next grass-court season to see how Federer adds to his prodigious grass court legacy.

Diego Schwartzman is a three-time ATP Tour titlist and the No. 13 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 27-year-old.

1) He Claimed His Biggest Title In Rio de Janeiro
Schwartzman captured the biggest title of his career at the 2018 Rio Open presented by Claro. The Argentine did not drop a set en route to the trophy in Brazil, beating Gael Monfils, Nicolas Jarry and Fernando Verdasco in consecutive matches.

The victory marked a milestone moment for Schwartzman in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Following the event, the 25-year-old cracked the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 18.

“I never thought before the week that I [was] going to be here with the trophy,” said Schwartzman. “It’s an amazing week for me. Everything was perfect; every match, every set was perfect for me, playing my best tennis.”

2) He Is Named After A Sporting Legend
Schwartzman is named after football legend Diego Maradona. Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup trophy and won the Golden Ball award as the best player of the tournament.

“I have a good relationship with Maradona,” said Schwartzman. “He says what he feels and he keeps it ‘real’ so to speak. What you see is what you get with Maradona. He’s an asset to all Argentinian athletes.

“He’s got a sense of humour, too. Before, he’d say ‘hey Dieguito [little Diego], say hello to big Diego.’ When I reached the quarter-finals at the US Open [in 2017], he told me I no longer go by Dieguito. From that point on, I’m also big Diego.”

3) He Enjoyed His Best Season In 2019
Schwartzman put together the best season of his career in 2019. The 5’7” right-hander, nicknamed ‘Peque’, reached three tour-level championship matches. Schwartzman defeated Taylor Fritz to claim his third ATP Tour crown in Los Cabos and finished runner-up in Vienna and Buenos Aires.

Schwartzman achieved his best ATP Masters 1000 result last year, beating Kei Nishikori to reach the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals in Rome. The Argentine also matched his best Grand Slam result by reaching his second US Open quarter-final. Schwartzman finished the year at World No. 14, his best year-end position.

Diego Schwartzman hits a forehand in Los Cabos 2019″ width=”100%” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2019/08/03/04/51/schwartzman-los-cabos-2019-friday.jpg” />

4) Through Gaming, He Has Supported COVID-19 Relief Efforts
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Schwartzman has been busy using his gaming skills to support relief efforts.

Alongside Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, the World No. 13 organised the ChamPlay Solidaria charity event in April. The two-day FIFA 20 tournament raised more than $275,000 for the Argentine Red Cross and was broadcast on DirecTV and TYC Sports. The competition included Dominic Thiem, former Top 10 star Juan Monaco and a number of fellow sports stars and celebrities.

The Los Cabos champion also participated in the inaugural Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, where he topped his group with a 3-0 record and defeated Fabio Fognini to reach the semi-finals. Tournament winner Andy Murray split his prize money equally between the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) and the Player Relief Programme. Additionally, the tournament donated €50,000 to Madrid’s Food Bank.

5) He Is A Strong Charades Partner
During episode five of Tennis United, Schwartzman impressed co-hosts Vasek Pospisil and Bethanie Mattek-Sands with his skills during a game of charades with teammate Dennis Novak. With two minutes on the clock, the Argentine acted out a series of tennis phrases for Novak to guess. The pair achieved eight correct answers, beating their rivals Pospisil and Thiem by two points to take the win.

Borna Coric showed flashes of brilliance early in his career, defeating Rafael Nadal when he was 17 and Andy Murray when he was 18. But the Croatian’s biggest breakthrough came at the 2018 NOVENTI OPEN in Halle.

Coric arrived in Germany with a 2-10 grass-court record at all levels, and he’d leave with his biggest title.

The 21-year-old faced a tough draw in the first round against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev. Just three months earlier, the German defeated the Croatian in straight sets in the Miami quarter-finals. Zverev was also a two-time Halle finalist.

However, Coric won 49 per cent of his return points in an impressive 6-1, 6-4 victory.

“The past few years haven’t been maybe the best that I’ve had on the grass,” Coric said. “Hopefully this year it can be very good.”

The World No. 34 defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili and Andreas Seppi in straight sets. In the semi-finals, he advanced when Roberto Bautista Agut retired after five games due to an unfortunate slip on the grass.

Coric’s toughest test awaited in the final against Roger Federer, who at the time was a nine-time Halle champion. The Swiss had won their two previous ATP Head2Head meetings, including a three-set victory at the BNP Paribas Open three months earlier.

But Coric, whose forehand delivered in the big moments, shocked Federer 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 to win the title.

“[I am] just really surprised,” Coric said. “I had not even dreamed of this.”

The Croatian snapped Federer’s 20-match grass-court winning streak, saving three of the four break points he faced en route to his second ATP Tour trophy.

Watch My Story: Coric On His Halle Win

Federer, who had won his first three tie-breaks of the tournament, earned a 6/4 lead in the first-set tie-break against Coric. At 6/5, the Swiss hit a backhand chip return that landed on the baseline and took a funky bounce. Coric stumbled and barely got his racquet on the ball, but somehow managed to win the point, and he never looked back.

“It is the most unbelievable feeling, [to beat Federer],” Coric said. “I looked up to him when I was younger, watching his matches back at home with my mum, my dad and my sister. Just playing him here today was a very special moment and beating him just makes it even bigger for me.”

Federer was disappointed to fall short of his 10th Halle crown, but he commended the first player to beat him on grass since Tommy Haas at 2017 Stuttgart.

“[Coric played] quality tennis at the very end of that first set and then in the third… He never really dropped his level and that was it,” said Federer. “So, it was an unfortunate match for me but credit to Borna to really come out and play a tough match today.”

Andy Murray holds the record for most Fever-Tree Championships titles with five. But before the Scot began his reign at The Queen’s Club, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick dominated the grass-court event.

The two rivals combined to win eight consecutive trophies at the Fever-Tree Championships from 2000-2007. Hewitt and Roddick are tied with Boris Becker and John McEnroe for second-most triumphs at The Queen’s Club in the Open Era.

In the 1999 semi-finals, when Hewitt was only 18, he suffered a heart-breaking defeat against Pete Sampras in a final-set tie-break. But in 2000, Hewitt would not be denied. Despite losing his first three ATP Head2Head matches against Sampras, who at that point was a six-time Wimbledon champion, Hewitt cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 win against him in the final. That was the 19-year-old’s biggest title yet.

In 20001, Hewitt played Sampras at The Queen’s Club for the third consecutive year, rallying from a set down for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 semi-final triumph. Hewitt then defeated home favourite Tim Henman 7-6(3), 7-6(3) for his second straight trophy at the event.

Hewitt advanced to his third consecutive final at The Queen’s Club in 2002 without dropping a set. But the Aussie’s winning streak came under fire in the final against Henman. The British star took the first set 6-4 before Hewitt battled back to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 for his 15th straight victory at the tournament.

“I just about feel at home here,” Hewitt said. “I hope to carry this form into Wimbledon.” 

Hewitt won his lone Wimbledon title that year, becoming one of only seven players to complete The Queen’s Club-Wimbledon title double in the same season in the Open Era. The others are McEnroe (1981, ’84), Jimmy Connors (’82), Becker (’85), Sampras (’95, ’99), Rafael Nadal (2008) and Murray (2013, ’16).

In 2003, Sebastien Grosjean upset Hewitt in the quarter-finals, allowing a new player to take The Queen’s Club’s throne: Andy Roddick.

????@andyroddick ruled @QueensTennis in 2003-2005 & 2007 ? pic.twitter.com/nJ7p7wVG7l

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 18, 2020

In the semi-finals, the young American overcame a lopsided ATP Head2Head rivalry with countryman Andre Agassi, who returned to World No. 1 the Monday after the event. Roddick struck 27 aces in a 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-6(6) victory to upset Agassi. He then defeated Grosjean 6-3, 6-3 for the title, and he went on to win his lone Grand Slam title later that year at the US Open.

In 2004, Roddick arrived at The Queen’s Club on the back of a disappointing second-round loss at Roland Garros against World No. 125 Olivier Mutis. But he had to find his best form on the London grass, facing three-time champion Hewitt in the semi-finals. In their first of two battles at the Fever-Tree Championships, Roddick beat Hewitt 7-6(7), 6-3, reportedly hitting 153 mph on the radar gun with his serve.

“It’s not much to look at, but it’s still attached, so that’s good,” Roddick said of his serving arm.

Roddick defeated three Top 15 opponents from the quarter-finals on, beating Grosjean in the final 7-6(4), 6-4 to retain his trophy. The American then made his first Wimbledon final, losing to Federer in a four-set championship match.

The American completed his own three-peat in 2005 by beating Ivo Karlovic 7-6(7), 7-6(4) in the final. Only McEnroe, Hewitt and Roddick have won three straight titles at The Queen’s Club.

“I absolutely love playing here, and to be part of history here now is incredible,” Roddick said.

James Blake snapped Roddick’s 18-match Fever-Tree Championships winning streak in the 2006 semi-finals, leaving the door open for Hewitt to earn his fourth trophy at the tournament, which he did with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Blake.

Roddick tied his rival by claiming his fourth trophy at The Queen’s Club in 2007, saving championship point in the second set of a 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(2) victory against Nicolas Mahut.

“This was the toughest one by far,” Roddick said.

Hewitt and Roddick played once more at The Queen’s Club, with the American winning 7-6(2), 7-6(4) in 2009. Neither man lifted the Fever-Tree Championships trophy again.

In the latest profile of a series on the 26 players to rise to No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, ATPTour.com looks back on the career of Boris Becker. View Full List.

First week at No. 1: 28 January 1991
Total weeks at No. 1: 12

At World No. 1
Becker, nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’, became the ninth player to reach World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on 28 January 1991, after capturing the Australian Open title. The German spent an initial three weeks at the summit, at a time when he and his great rival, Stefan Edberg, dominated. Following his run to the 1991 Wimbledon final, Becker returned for a further nine weeks at the top of the sport on 8 July 1991. As World No. 1, Becker won 12 of 15 matches and reached one championship match, losing to Pete Sampras in the Indianapolis final.

Grand Slam Highlights
Becker clinched six major championship trophies, including three Wimbledon titles. In 1985, as a 17-year-old ‘Wunderkind’, he flung himself across the grass of Centre Court to become the youngest man — and first unseeded player — to capture the Gentlemen’s Singles trophy at The Championships. The powerful German reached seven finals at Wimbledon (3-4) and called the sport’s cathedral — Centre Court — “his living room”. Competing as a two-time defending champion in 1987, Becker fell to Peter Doohan in the second round at Wimbledon, famously remarking afterwards, “I haven’t lost a war. No one got killed. I just lost a tennis match.” Becker won his third title at SW19 in 1989. The German also claimed two Australian Open trophies, beating Ivan Lendl and Michael Chang to lift the trophy in 1991 and 1996, respectively. Becker reached the semi-finals or better at the US Open four times, clinching the 1989 crown with a four-set win against World No. 1 Lendl. Between 1987 and 1991, Becker advanced to the semi-finals at Roland Garros on three occasions.

Boris Becker captured three titles from seven final appearances at Wimbledon.” />

Nitto ATP Finals Highlights
Becker made 11 appearances at the Nitto ATP Finals from 1986, when the event was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, to 1996 in Hanover. He triumphed at the elite eight-man event for the first time in 1988, when he won a fifth-set tie-break against Ivan Lendl in the final. “Beating Ivan in the [1988] final gave me even more satisfaction. He was incredibly dominant and an inspiration,” said Becker. “I was playing some of the very best tennis of my life. Physically, it was one of the hardest matches of my life.” Becker also captured the trophy in 1992 and 1995, beating Jim Courier and Michael Chang, respectively. Becker was a runner-up on five occasions (1985-‘86, ’89, ’94 and ’96). In 1996, Becker and Sampras contested one of the finest finals in ATP Tour history over five sets. He finished his career with a 36-13 record at the tournament.

Tour Highlights
From his very first ATP Tour title in June 1985 at The Queen’s Club, a precursor to what would happen at Wimbledon three weeks later, Becker amassed 49 singles trophies from 77 finals. Prior to the establishment of the ATP Tour in 1990, Becker had a winning rate of 24-9 in finals. In the 1990s, Becker won five Super 9s from 11 finals [now named ATP Masters 1000s], including three trophies in Stockholm. Stockholm was one of three events that Becker won on four occasions (also 1988), alongside The Queen’s Club and Milan. He also won the 1996 Grand Slam Cup and the doubles gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with compatriot Michael Stich.

Biggest Rivalries
Across 35 ATP Head2Head encounters between 1984 and 1996, including three straight Wimbledon finals (1988-1990), Becker and Edberg pitted power against finesse. Becker won 25 of their meetings and had the edge 11-5 in finals, but Edberg claimed victory in two of their Wimbledon championship matches (1988 and 1990) and their 1989 Roland Garros semi-final. “He was my toughest rival… We had three consecutive Wimbledon finals, we had the Davis Cup final twice. Pretty much on all the big stages, we played and we had tough matches,” said Becker. “He was a tough competitor, but he was a nice guy. I think we have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. There wasn’t a moment that I could say, ‘I don’t like this guy.’ It was tough on the court, I wish I would have won more, but he is a good guy.”

Legacy
Across 12 sparkling years, Becker helped elevate the sport to new heights and the era of superstar tennis, finishing in the year-end Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings on 11 occasions (1985-‘92, ’94-‘96). Becker introduced his brand of power tennis to the sport with his dramatic arrival in 1985 and, together with Ivan Lendl, the German took athleticism in the sport to new levels. He once said, “Tennis is a psychological sport, you have to keep a clear head. That is why I stopped playing.” As one of the sport’s greatest fast-court players, he is best remembered for his trademark diving volleys, heavy serve and forehand. Never far from the spotlight as a player or in retirement, the 2003 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee was coach to current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic between 2014 and 2016, helping the Serbian to capture 25 tour-level trophies, including six majors and 14 Masters 1000 crowns. During this period, Djokovic also became only the third man in history to hold all four Grand Slam trophies at the same time.

Overall Match Win-Loss Record: 713-214
Overall Titles/Finals Record: 49-28

Memorable Moment
After falling to Mats Wilander in the second round at Roland Garros in 1985, Becker quickly turned his attention to what would be a life-changing grass-court season. The 17-year-old travelled to Beckenham, where he gained valuable match practice with a run to quarter-finals. Bidding to capture his first ATP Tour trophy, Becker then made the short trip across London to The Queen’s Club. The 6’3” right-hander beat Pat Cash, Paul McNamee and Johan Kriek in consecutive matches to lift the trophy and crack the Top 20 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time in his career. In his second appearance at SW19, Becker-mania spread as the unseeded German battled through several close encounters. The 17-year-old won back-to-back five-set encounters against Joakim Nystrom and Tim Mayotte, before overcoming Henri Leconte and Anders Jarryd in four sets to reach his maiden Grand Slam final against Kevin Curren. After three hours and 18 minutes of action on Centre Court, Becker fired a huge serve out wide to complete a 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-4 victory against the American. “I only experienced nerves at 5-4 in the fourth set, when I was shaking and sweating as I sat in my chair prior to serving,” said Becker. “I could barely toss the ball up and hit two double faults, including one at 40/15. When I won, it was all a blur. It was only later that I realised what I had achieved.” To this day, Becker is the youngest Gentlemen’s singles champion in the history of The Championships.

Edberg on Becker
“I think the rivalry with Boris has been very good for both of us, because that’s really what’s important in tennis. We’ve been fighting through Wimbledon and we’ve been fighting for the No. 1 spot and looking at each other’s results. Connors and Borg and McEnroe and Lendl had this thing going, and Boris and I had it going for a little while.”

Becker on Becker
“I am most known for my first Wimbledon title, because that put me on the map. For me, personally, my second Wimbledon title was the most important one because it confirmed my position in the world of tennis. Most importantly, for myself, after [my second title at] Wimbledon I felt like I belonged.”

Broadcaster/Journalist Graeme Agars
Boris Becker burst onto the tennis scene as a flamboyant 17-year-old, stunning the game’s establishment with an outrageous victory at Wimbledon in 1985. He rode two key assets to success at the All England Club that year: a powerful and well-placed serve that earned him the nickname “Boom Boom” and some of the most acrobatic performances ever seen at the net.

Becker spent almost as much time horizontal to the court as he did perpendicular, with some amazing lunges that could almost have qualified him for an Olympic diving spot. That hugely enjoyable style saw him win three times at Wimbledon, making the most famed center court in the game his own “back yard” during the latter half of the ‘80s.

Combined with the stellar career of fellow German Steffi Graf, Becker saw Germany rise to the top of the tennis world. He wore his heart on his sleeve when he played, making him a magnetic character to watch and no matter where he played, he drew a large and appreciative crowd.

He was also a photographer’s favorite, a compliment he returned when he surprisingly gave his winning racquet to a courtside snapper after he won the US Open in 1989.

For more than 20 years, MaliVai Washington has impacted the lives of children and young adults in Jacksonville, Florida. Through the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation (MWYF), the 1996 Wimbledon runner-up and former World No. 11 has improved opportunities for disadvantaged youths in Durkeeville, one of the most impoverished areas in the city.

The foundation is based in zip code 32209, which has a history of drug-related crime and suffered the highest number of murders in the city in 2019. The area also owns the city’s highest rates of juvenile crime, teen pregnancies and STDs. Despite the numerous challenges children face in the area, the 2009 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award winner has made a positive impact on the lives of his students since 1997. No student has become a teen parent while active in the foundation’s program and, over the past four years, 100 per cent of children have graduated high school on time.

“This was the zip code that had the most issues. This is the zip code we wanted to be in,” said Washington. “I remember talking to the former sheriff of Jacksonville when we were having an event and he said, ‘Mal, four blocks from where we are standing right now used to be one of the biggest crack dealing corners in Jacksonville.’ I said, ‘That’s why we’re here.’

“We want to be in this location because we feel like this is where we can have the greatest impact on young people. Too many young people are falling through the cracks and if we can create some programming, with education and a tennis foundation exposing them to different things, they are going to be so much better off than having not been in the program.”

MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation is based in Jacksonville, Florida.” />

After suffering a knee injury against Gustavo Kuerten in February 1997, an injury which he describes as ‘the beginning of the end of my playing career’, Washington spent the rest of the year creating programs, fundraising and meeting with Jacksonville city government officials to turn his vision into a reality.

The foundation began with Tennis and Tutoring (TnT), aimed at elementary school children from five years of age, but soon added a Leadership program to support students through middle school and high school. The foundation has since expanded to support students during and after college, as they seek employment in their chosen fields. Washington’s students have become real estate agents, local chefs and paediatricians. In fact, former student Marc Atkinson is the current Director of Tennis at the foundation.

“From TnT and leadership to working with students in college and after college, our students, in their mid-20s, are coming back to us and using us as a resource which is what I absolutely love,” said Washington. “We have our tentacles out in the community and we have had a lot of people who have supported us over the years who are still willing to help out in some way.”

In the next two months, the foundation will open a new Teen Center — after raising $5m in funding — creating the opportunity to nearly double the number of students served in the foundation’s elementary program and triple student capacity in its middle school and high school programs.

Washington’s ultimate goal is not related to the profile or size of his foundation. The four-time ATP Tour titlist is simply focused on growing his reach in the local community and having an impact in that area across multiple generations.

“I am all about longevity. We want to be a staple in the community,” said Washington. “We have been here for 24 years in Jacksonville and I’d like to think that long after I’m gone and long after our executive director and board members are gone and some of our students are my age now, I’d like to think that the foundation is still striving. That is my goal.

“A generation, two generations from now… I want people to look back and say something happened in 2019 or 2020 in our family that changed the direction our family was going in. I want them to be able to point back to the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation and say, ‘Something happened at that program that changed the trajectory of a few lives in our family.’ If they can look back and say that, we have accomplished what we set out to do.”

Read Q&A

You set up the Mal Washington Youth Foundation in the year following your run to the 1996 Wimbledon final. Can you reflect on those achievements and did your Wimbledon success give you a greater platform to reach children through your foundation?
We started the foundation, on paper, in 1994 but it wasn’t until 1997 that we actually started growing programs and creating programs in Jacksonville, Florida. One of the things I have often said is the Wimbledon final in 1996 was really the pinnacle of my tennis career and, right after Wimbledon, participating in the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 was very special.

Unfortunately, seven months later, not knowing it at the time, injuring my knee in Brazil playing Davis Cup was the beginning of the end of my career. That was the downhill slide into two surgeries and rehabilitation on my knee. Ironically… having had that first knee surgery, what it allowed me to do was dedicate a significant amount of time to growing the foundation.

I was literally just in Jacksonville for the last 10 months of 1997 and, during those 10 months, that is when the foundation really grew and started to growing into what it is today. That is when we started creating programs. That is when we had our first fundraiser in September 1997.

The knee surgery, for my tennis career, sucked. But, for the foundation, it allowed me to sit in a lot of meetings and meet a lot of people, a lot of corporate folks and a lot of people in Jacksonville city government to tell them what we were trying to do. Having somewhat of a higher profile, having just [reached the final] at Wimbledon, it was a bit easier to get in to talk to people.

MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation is based in Jacksonville, Florida.” />

In 2009, you were awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. Can you discuss that achievement and what impact Arthur had on your life?
Getting the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award was very special and to be, in some way, compared to Arthur is very special. But, I often say it is kind of misleading because there were so many people who… could have been right up there with me. My name is on the organisation, but we have my executive director, our leadership team, we have a board of directors, we have full-time staff, we have part-time staff, we have junior staff. There are so many people involved in the foundation. I would like to think the entire organisation looks at it as our award, not just an award that Mal got.

I had the opportunity to see Arthur play live once. I could barely see him, my dad was holding me up and we were watching him on an outside court at the US Open back in the late 70s… He didn’t want to be remembered as a tennis player. That was just a part of his life. I certainly don’t want to be remembered just as a tennis player. That was just a part of my life. I think there is so much more to do and accomplish and so many people to impact beyond how I hit a tennis ball.

Can you tell us about a success story from the foundation?
One of our great success stories is a young man [named Marc Atkinson], who grew up in the foundation from the sixth grade. He’ll tell you, he failed the sixth grade right before he came into our program. He grew to love the sport of tennis, graduated from high school, went to Florida A&M University and walked onto the tennis team there. [He] struggled and struggled and, four years later, he graduated which was awesome. Then he came to work for us full-time and has been working for us full-time [as our Director of Tennis] for a number of years. Now the young man is not so young anymore… he’s married with three kids.

Your Youth Centre opened in 2008. How were you operating before that moment and what did the opening of the facility mean for your Foundation moving forward?
Before that period, we were operating in a city-owned facility directly across the street. When we started our after school program in the late 90s, when we started Tennis and Tutoring, it was for 25 kids. We grew to 50 kids the next year, then 75 kids and what we realised very quickly was, if nothing else was working, if we weren’t doing anything else, we were getting the kids to go to school. You couldn’t come to the after school TnT program unless you were in school that day.

We looked at that and said, ‘This kid missed 22 days of school last year and this year, since he has been in the program, he missed six days.’ There were stories like that over and over and over again, so we realised if nothing else was working, that’s working. How do we continue to grow and expand the programs?

We went around a few different sites throughout the country, looking at other programs and asking the question, ‘How do we grow effectively and efficiently?’ For us, that was going on a campaign and building a youth centre to allow us to more than double the number of kids we were serving and just make deeper inroads into the community. That’s the whole goal.

With our Teen Center that is under construction now, I basically asked the same question. How do we grow and how do we do it effectively? Can we grow? Can we raise the funds and, if we can, do we want to do that? My message was, ‘I don’t want to say no to those questions just because it is going to be tough. If we can go through some growing pains but, in the end, serve way more kids and do it effectively, let’s do that.’ Everyone got on board and that is what we chose to do.