BY MICHAEL MADYIRA WHEN the subject of Zimbabwe’s tennis golden generation pops up, names of the Black siblings — Byron, Wayne and Cara — quickly get mentioned. But there is one man, Kevin Ullyett, who was part of that firebrand class, whose name appears to have been forgotten.This is a player, who together with long-time partner, Wayne, tamed lions in their own den, when they won the men’s doubles title at the US Open in 2001, on the hard-court of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Their triumph was merely two days before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre Twin Towers. Getting into the match seeded 14th, the duo left the world spellbound after upsetting the American pair of Donald Johnson and Jared Palmer, who were second seeds and Wimbledon champions. One senses a nostalgic feeling in Ullyett, as he describes this September 9 defining hour, which he rates as the best moment in his 20-year long career which ended two years ago. “The US Open was very difficult,” said Ullyett, who at his peak was once ranked fourth in the world. “The stadium was getting full as the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) were going to play after our match, so the atmosphere was getting good. “The match was tight in the third set but I felt quite relaxed as both Wayne and myself thought it was our destiny to win that day and serving out the match was hairy, but Wayne was rock-solid.” Following his Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour debut in South Africa in 1992, having turned professional two years earlier, Ullyett went on to enjoy tremendous success in men’s doubles. The right-hander immensely contributed in placing Zimbabwean tennis on the world map with a haul of 34 doubles titles, including another Grand Slam title at the 2005 Australian Open. Nicknamed “Nyamhanza” because of his bald head, the 40-year-old looks back at his career laced with wild moments he enjoyed with Wayne, a partner in 116 tournaments. One such mischievous instance was at the 2004 Athens Olympics when they deliberately arrived late for the Games’ opening ceremony. “We decided to try to show up just as Zimbabwe was due to walk on for the opening ceremony, as we knew our country with the letter ‘Z’ would be the last nation to march in. “We had booked our flights to land early evening in Athens and we went to the Games Village,which was a ghost town, as every single athlete was waiting in line in a holding area outside the stadium. We got our credentials and then tried to find the right place to meet the team. “We climbed over a few fences and eventually found other team members who were just about to walk on and we just slid into the group,” he said.
Ullyett’s rituals before the game
While some tennis players have weird pre-match rituals like not letting anyone touch their rackets before a game, Ullyett reveals his own ways of preparing for matches. “I would often use the same shower all week,” he said. “During pre-match I would sit on my own and put new grips on and get my rackets ready while listening to some music on headphones.” But sadly, he regrets having never won an Olympics medal having also participated at the 2000 Sydney Games.
