Washington at the US Open, 2010 | |
| Country (sports) | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Ponte Vedra Beach,Florida, US |
| Born | (1969-06-20)June 20, 1969 (age 56) |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Turned pro | 1989 |
| Retired | 1999 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $3,232,565 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 254–184 (58%) |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Highest ranking | No. 11 (October 26, 1992) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1994) |
| French Open | 4R (1993) |
| Wimbledon | F (1996) |
| US Open | 4R (1992) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Grand Slam Cup | QF (1996) |
| Olympic Games | QF (1996) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 27–44 (38%) |
| Highest ranking | No. 172 (April 20, 1992) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| US Open | 2R (1991) |
MaliVai "Mal" Washington (/mælɪˈviːə/mal-ih-VEE-ə)[1] (born June 20, 1969) is an American former professionaltennis player. He reached the men's singles final atWimbledon in1996, won four ATP titles and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in October 1992.
Washington began playing tennis aged five.[2] Washington's younger sister,Mashona, is also a former top-50 professional tennis player. His younger brother,Mashiska, receivedAll-America honors atMichigan State University, before joining the men's professional tour. MaliVai's older sisterMichaela also played professionally.[3]
As a high school senior, Washington was coached by formerATP Tour participantVictor Amaya. For two seasons, Washington played tennis for theUniversity of Michigan and was the top ranked college player in the United States at the end of his sophomore season.[3] He left college two years into his studies to pursue a professional tennis career.[2]
Washington turned professional in 1989. In 1990, while ranked no. 103, he defeated world number 2Ivan Lendl inNew Haven (6–3, 6–2).
During his breakthrough year in 1992, Washington won theMemphis title (defeating seventh-seededWayne Ferreira in the final) and theU.S. Men's Clay Court Championships inCharlotte, North Carolina, winning the final againstClaudio Mezzadri.[4][5] He reached a career high ranking of 11 in October.
In 1993, Washington reached his first Masters final inMiami, losing toPete Sampras in straight sets.
At the1994 Australian Open, Washington reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, after a win over second-seededMichael Stich in the first round and a five-set victory againstMats Wilander in the fourth round. He also had wins overMichael Chang andStefan Edberg during the US Summer hard court season, and won his third ATP-title inOstrava in October.
In 1995, he beat world no. 1Andre Agassi in the third round of theEssen Masters on his way to the final (where he lost toThomas Muster).
Washington's biggest success at a Grand Slam event came in 1996 when he was a runner-up at theWimbledon Championships. On his way to the final he defeated ninth-seededThomas Enqvist in the second round, and came back from a 1–5 deficit in the fifth set of the semifinal to beatTodd Martin, finally winning 10–8. Before the tournament had started, his odds of winning the title were 300–1.[6][7] He lost the final toRichard Krajicek in straight sets.[5][8] He gained revenge against Krajicek in theGrand Slam Cup in October later that year, beating him for the loss of just three games (6–1, 6–2).
Washington suffered from a recurring knee injury from the beginning of 1997, causing him to miss most of the 1997 and 1999 seasons, and precipitating his retirement in December 1999.[9]
In 2009 Washington won the ATPArthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award, for his positive work through theMaliVai Washington Youth Foundation.[10]
In 2015 Washington won the NJTL Founders' Service Award (TheUSTA's National Junior Tennis League), for his continued contribution since retirement to support education and tennis among children and young people (particularly those underprivileged).[11]
| Result | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1996 | Wimbledon | Grass | 3–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tennis Masters Cup (0) |
| ATP Masters Series (0) |
| ATP Championship Series (1) |
| ATP Tour (3) |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 1992 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | 6–7(6–8), 4–6 | |
| Win | 1–1 | Feb 1992 | Memphis, U.S. | Hard (i) | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Apr 1992 | Tampa, U.S. | Clay | 6–3, 4–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 2–2 | May 1992 | Charlotte, U.S. | Clay | 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 2–3 | Jun 1992 | Manchester, England | Grass | 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 2–4 | Aug 1992 | New Haven, U.S. | Hard | 6–7(4–7), 1–6 | |
| Loss | 2–5 | Jan 1993 | Auckland, New Zealand | Hard | 6–7(2–7), 4–6 | |
| Loss | 2–6 | Mar 1993 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 3–6 | Oct 1994 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | Carpet (i) | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 3–7 | Oct 1995 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | Carpet (i) | 6–3, 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 3–8 | Oct 1995 | Essen, Germany | Carpet (i) | 6–7(6–8), 6–2, 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 4–8 | Apr 1996 | Bermuda | Clay | 6–7(6–8), 6–4, 7–5 | |
| Loss | 4–9 | Jul 1996 | Wimbledon, England | Grass | 3–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Sep 1995 | Bogotá, Colombia | Clay | 6–7, 2–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | Career SR | Career win–loss | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 4R | QF | 1R | 4R | 4R | 2R* | A | 0 / 8 | 16–7 | |||
| French Open | A | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 7 | 5–7 | |||
| Wimbledon | A | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | F | A | A | A | 0 / 7 | 9–7 | |||
| US Open | A | 2R | 2R | 3R | 4R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | A | 0 / 9 | 11–9 | |||
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 31 | N/A | |||
| Annual win–loss | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 6–4 | 9–4 | 5–4 | 1–4 | 10–4 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | N/A | 41–30 | |||
| ATP Masters Series | |||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 2R | A | 0 / 5 | 5–5 | |||
| Miami | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | F | 2R | 4R | 3R | A | 2R | A | 0 / 7 | 10–7 | |||
| Monte Carlo | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||
| Rome | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | |||
| Hamburg | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | |||
| Montreal/Toronto | A | A | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | QF | QF | 3R | A | 3R | A | 0 / 8 | 13–8 | |||
| Cincinnati | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | A | A | 1R | 0 / 7 | 6–6 | |||
| Stockholm/Essen/Stuttgart | A | A | A | A | 2R | SF | 1R | F | 2R | A | A | A | 0 / 5 | 9–5 | |||
| Paris | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 2R | 3R | A | A | A | 0 / 5 | 4–5 | |||
| Masters Series SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 7 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 42 | N/A | |||
| Annual win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–4 | 3–5 | 13–7 | 7–5 | 15–8 | 6–7 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 0–1 | N/A | 52–41 | |||
| Year-end ranking | 329 | 199 | 93 | 50 | 13 | 23 | 30 | 26 | 20 | 258 | 178 | 1115 | N/A | ||||
* Washington withdrew prior to his second-round match at the 1998 Australian Open
| Season | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | Total |
| Wins | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | Washington Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | |||||||
| 1. | 2 | New Haven, US | Hard | 2R | 6–2, 6–3 | 103 | |
| 1991 | |||||||
| 2. | 8 | Orlando, US | Hard | QF | 6–2, 6–7(6), 6–2 | 85 | |
| 1992 | |||||||
| 3. | 5 | New Haven, US | Hard | QF | 6–4, 7–5 | 16 | |
| 1993 | |||||||
| 4. | 3 | Stockholm Masters, Sweden | Carpet | QF | 6–4, 7–5 | 33 | |
| 1994 | |||||||
| 5. | 2 | Australian Open | Hard | 1R | 7-6(4), 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 | 26 | |
| 6. | 6 | Canada Masters | Hard | 3R | 6–4, 6–4 | 36 | |
| 7. | 5 | Long Island, US | Hard | 3R | 6–0, 3–6, 6–3 | 31 | |
| 1995 | |||||||
| 8. | 8 | Rome Masters, Italy | Clay | 1R | 7–5, 6–2 | 44 | |
| 9. | 1 | Essen, Germany | Carpet | 3R | 4–6, 6–1, 6–1 | 54 | |
| 10. | 9 | Essen, Germany | Carpet | QF | 7–5, 6–4 | 54 | |
| 1996 | |||||||
| 11. | 9 | Wimbledon | Grass | QF | 6-4, 7–6, 6–3 | 20 | |
| 12. | 7 | Grand Slam Cup, Germany | Carpet | 3R | 6–1, 6–2 | 20 | |