Byron Hamish Black (born 6 October 1969) is a former touring professional
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
and
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
player for Zimbabwe.
Personal life
He is the son of
Donald Black and Velia Black and brother to
Wayne Black
Wayne Hamilton Black (born 17 November 1973) is a former professional tennis player from Zimbabwe. The son of former player Don Black, Black turned professional in 1994 and reached his highest singles ranking of 69 on 30 March 1998. He is the y ...
and
Cara
Cara or CARA may refer to:
Places
* Čara, a village on the island of Korčula, Croatia
* Cara, a village in Cojocna Commune, Cluj County, Romania
* Cara Island
Cara Island ( gd, Cara) is a small island which is located off the west coast o ...
, who were also professional tennis players.He is married to Fiona Black, and has children. He attended the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
and was named an
All-American by the
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body and coaches association of college tennis, both an advocate and authority, overseeing men’s and women’s varsity tennis at all levels – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NC ...
(ITA).
Tennis career
Black started playing tennis at a young age at his father’s grass court in Highlands, and played the game for Lewisham Primary School in his hometown. He played for the tennis team when he moved to the Oriel Boys High School, where he was exposed to other future Davis Cup players for Zimbabwe like Greig Rodgers and Mark Gurr.
Pro tour
In
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, Black was a
US Open quarterfinalist, and in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, he reached the same round at
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 22, which he achieved in June 1996.
An accomplished doubles player, Black became
world No. 1 in doubles in February 1994. He won the
1994 French Open
The 1994 French Open was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. The tournament was held from 23 May until 5 June. It was the 98th staging of the French Open, and the second Gra ...
partnering
Jonathan Stark. Black was a doubles finalist in three other majors, the 1994 and 2001
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
s and the
1996 Wimbledon Championships
The 1996 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London in the United Kingdom. It was the 110th edition of the Wimbledon Championships and was held from ...
.
Black is one of the few professional players to have played with a double-handed forehand.
Black formed the core of the
Zimbabwe Davis Cup team
The Zimbabwe men's national tennis team represents Zimbabwe in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Zimbabwe Tennis Association.
Zimbabwe currently competes in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group II. They last competed in the World G ...
with his brother Wayne.
Career finals
Doubles: 41 (22 titles, 19 runner-ups)
Singles: 10 (2 titles, 8 runner-ups)
Performance timelines
Doubles
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Byron
1969 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Harare
Zimbabwean male tennis players
Olympic tennis players of Zimbabwe
French Open champions
Tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
USC Trojans men's tennis players
White Zimbabwean sportspeople
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles
Zimbabwean people of English descent
Zimbabwean people of Scottish descent
African Games medalists in tennis
African Games gold medalists for Zimbabwe
Competitors at the 1987 All-Africa Games
ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players