Wayne Hamilton Black (born 17 November 1973) is a former 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 ...
player from
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
. 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 younger brother of fellow
ATP Tour
The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organis ...
player
Byron Black, with the two brothers forming the mainstay 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 ...
for over a decade.
Black struggled for consistency in his singles game and by the new millenium had converted to a doubles specialist, in which he experienced greater success. He won two men's doubles
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
titles at the 2001
U.S. Open and
2005 Australian Open with compatriot
Kevin Ullyett
Kevin Ullyett (born 23 May 1972) is a former professional tennis player from Zimbabwe. His primary success on the tour was in men's doubles.
Ullyett won 34 doubles titles during his career, including two Grand Slams at the 2001 US Open and t ...
, as well as two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles at the
2002 French Open
The 2002 French Open was the second Grand Slam event of 2002 and the 106th edition of the French Open. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from late May through early June, 2002.
Both Gustavo Kuerten and Jennifer Capriati ...
and
2004 Wimbledon with sister
Cara Black
Cara Cavell Black (born 17 February 1979) is a Zimbabwean former professional tennis player. Black was primarily a doubles specialist, winning 60 WTA Tour and 11 ITF doubles titles. A former doubles world No. 1, she won ten major titles. By ...
.
He reached his career-high doubles ranking of 4 on 31 January 2005, following his second Grand Slam title win, and retired from professional play in 2005.
Early life and education
Black and his siblings
Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...
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 ...
were drilled in tennis from a young age by
their father; they frequently played at least an hour of tennis before the school day began, another hour after school, followed by a third hour once homework had been completed.
He was educated at
St. John's College in
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
and 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 ...
, but left before completing his degree to go professional.
Personal
Black married Kazakhstani tennis player
Irina Selyutina
Irina Gennadyevna Selyutina (Ирина Геннадьевна Селютина; born 7 November 1979) is a former tennis player from Kazakhstan.
She is a former world No. 1 in junior doubles, winning French Open and Wimbledon in 1997, partne ...
and settled in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
following retirement, where both of his children were born.
He competed in club tennis for Sutton Tennis & Squash Club for a period of time alongside his former coach
Miles Maclagan
Miles Maclagan (born 23 September 1974) is a Zambia born British tennis coach and former professional tennis player. He formerly coached British No.1s Laura Robson and Andy Murray.
Maclagan partnered Tim Henman successfully in the Davis Cup ...
.
Citing a failure to get used to the colder climate of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, he later moved back to his home country and ran a tourist lodge with his wife.
Career finals
Doubles (18 titles, 15 runner-ups)
Doubles performance timeline
References
External links
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Wayne
1973 births
Living people
Zimbabwean male tennis players
Sportspeople from Harare
Olympic tennis players of Zimbabwe
Australian Open (tennis) champions
Wimbledon champions
French Open champions
US Open (tennis) champions
Tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Zimbabwean people of English descent
Zimbabwean people of Scottish descent
USC Trojans men's tennis players
White Zimbabwean sportspeople
Hopman Cup competitors
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles