WHO IS DUSTIN BROWN?

WHO IS DUSTIN BROWN? 

Where did this lad come from?

Dustin Brown has been in and around the tour for years.

But the 30-year-old has played most of his tournaments on the lower-tier Challenger and Futures circuits. His career-high world ranking is only 78, as his results have never been consistent enough to help him get into the main events on a regular basis.

What is his background?

Brown — nicknamed ‘Dreddy’ for obvious reasons — was born in Germany in 1984 to a Jamaican father and German mother. He lived in Germany until 1996, when he moved to Jamaica, and it was in the Caribbean that he started his tennis career. Brown was unique on the tour in that he used to travel around Europe in a Volkswagen camper van to play the lower-level tournaments.

Sorry! He used to travel in a camper van?

Yes, it is not cheap to travel week after week on the lesser tours. The events have little prize-money and can involve a lot of mileage. To cut down on both travel and accommodation costs, Brown’s parents bought him the Volkswagen camper van which he drove, slept in and cooked in while he travelled on the tours between 2004 and 2007.

Is it true he almost represented Great Britain?

Brown did consider playing for GB at one point, qualifying through paternal British grandparents. A lack of funding and support from the Jamaican tennis association annoyed him and he decided to switch to another nation in 2010. In the end, though, he opted for the country of his birth, Germany.

Any other interesting facts?

Brown last cut his dreadlocked hair almost 19 years ago in August 1996. He regularly listens to RnB, hip-hop and dance on his red headphones. He has a tongue piercing, a green tooth and a portrait tattoo on his torso of his father Leroy. 

Source: Twitter / Dailymail