TENNIS PLAYERS from Zimbabwe

Top 4

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Zimbabwean Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous Zimbabwean Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Kevin Ullyett (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 38.71, Kevin Ullyett is the most famous Zimbabwean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

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 the 2005 Australian Open with countryman Wayne Black. He also competed in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, coming in at fifth place in 2004 with Black. In mixed doubles, Ullyett won the 2002 Australian Open with Daniela Hantuchová. He reached the final of Wimbledon in 2002 with Hantuchová, and the semifinals there in 2003 and 2005 with Hantuchová and Liezel Huber, respectively. He and Huber were also the runners-up at the 2005 Australian Open. Black, Ullyett's compatriot and long-time doubles partner, retired at the end of 2005. He then played with Paul Hanley for two seasons, then with Jonas Björkman, who retired at the end of 2008, and finally with Brazilian Bruno Soares. His father, Robert Ullyett, represented Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in cricket and field hockey. He was part of the national team that competed at the 1964 Olympics (they beat New Zealand 2–1 and came 11th out of 15). He made his final tennis appearance at the South African Open in February 2010 (partnering with Wesley Moodie) eighteen years after he first appeared there in 1992 competing in his first ATP Tour event. He had over 500 career wins. He lives with his wife and two children in London. Their first child, Jemima, was born in 2005. He hopes for a career in property development after tennis.

2. Cara Black (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 37.98, Cara Black is the 2nd most famous Zimbabwean Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

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 winning the 2010 Australian Open mixed doubles title, Black became the third woman in the Open Era to complete the career Grand Slam in mixed doubles (after Martina Navratilova and Daniela Hantuchová). Having also won one singles title on the WTA Tour, Black peaked at world No. 31 in the singles rankings in March 1999.

3. Byron Black (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 36.29, Byron Black is the 3rd most famous Zimbabwean Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Byron Hamish Black (born 6 October 1969) is a former touring professional tennis and Davis Cup player for Zimbabwe.

4. Wayne Black (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 32.92, Wayne Black is the 4th most famous Zimbabwean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

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 younger brother of fellow ATP Tour player Byron Black, with the pair forming the mainstay of the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team for over a decade. Black struggled for consistency in his singles game and by the new millennium had converted to a doubles specialist, in which he experienced greater success. He won two men's doubles Grand Slam titles at the 2001 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open with compatriot Kevin Ullyett, as well as two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles at the 2002 French Open and 2004 Wimbledon with sister Cara Black. 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.