"Rafael Nadal announces he will play Wimbledon 2025" - Tennis fans joke as Spaniard's SW19 conqueror Dustin Brown announces retirement
German-Jamaican veteran Dustin Brown recently announced he would retire from tennis after the 2024 season, much to the disappointment of fans online.
Brown, 39, turned pro a little over two decades ago, in 2002. Touted as one of the most entertaining players on tour in the last decade, his biggest coup came in 2015, when he took down Rafael Nadal in four sets at Wimbledon.
In and around the top 100 during his singles career, Brown tasted success on the doubles tour, winning two titles.
His last match on tour was against Nikoloz Basilashvili at the 2021 Stuttgart Open. He lost that match in straight sets.
On Saturday, January 20, Brown took to social media to announce his retirement at the end of this year. The flamboyant German-Jamaican revealed that he had "some issues" and that he was in the process of dealing with them.
"Sadly It's Been A While, Since I Was Able 2 Compete & During This Time It's Been Pretty Quiet On My Social Media Accounts… I Still Have A Few Issues 🤕 (Since My Lower Back Injury At Boss Open Stuttgart 2023) That I Am Trying To Deal With… I Started My Career In 2002 & After 22 Seasons I Wanted To Let U Guys Know, That 2024 Will Be Me Last One… It's Been A Crazy Ride, But A Very Fulfilling & Fun One 🙌🏾🖤," Brown wrote on Instagram.
While many fans expressed their sadness at the news, some reminisced about his famous 2015 victory over Rafael Nadal. A few even begged for a re-match between the two at the event.
"Breaking: Nadal announces he will play Wimbledon 2025," a fan wrote.
"That Wimbledon match is legendary," wrote another.
Another paid tribute to Brown's flamboyant style, expressing their sadness at seeing him retire.
"Always loved watching him, sad seeing him retire," the fan commented.
Here are a few more fan reactions to Dustin Brown's retirement:
Dustin Brown also famously beat Rafael Nadal in Halle
Dustin Brown is one of the few players on tour to hold the upper hand in wins against Rafael Nadal. He currently leads their head-to-head record 2-0.
Before his famous victory against Nadal at Wimbledon in 2015, Brown also beat the Spaniard at Halle in 2014. The German-Jamaican blew Nadal off the court, winning the match 6-4, 6-1.
While speaking to the press post-match, Brown described the win as "crazy", adding that he was going to enjoy the monumental win before thinking of what's up next.
"I never played against a world No. 1 before, never played him before, so this is just crazy for me. I'm going to enjoy this," Brown said.