MaliVai Washington
Founder
MaliVai (Mal) Washington began playing tennis at the age of 5 after being introduced to the sport by his father. He won his first title at 8 years old.
Mal attended the University of Michigan from 1987-1989 where he became a two time All American and finished his sophomore year ranked as the NCAA #1 tennis player in the nation.
In 1989 at the age of 20, Mal decided to forego his final two years at Michigan to become a professional. He was named the ATP Tour rookie of the year in 1990. Over a professional career that spanned 10 years, he won 4 career titles while reaching a total of 13 finals. Mal reached a career-high #11 in the world in singles in 1992, 1993 and 1996 and had career singles wins over Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang, Gustavo Kuertan, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.
In 1996 Mal reached the Championships Wimbledon final, becoming the first African American man to reach a grand slam singles final since tennis great Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon in 1975. The two remain the only African American men to achieve this feat. Mal was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team and U.S. Davis Cup Teams in 1993, 1996 and 1997. He suffered a knee injury during his final Davis Cup appearance against Gustavo Kuertan in Brazil in February 1997. Following two knee surgeries, Mal retired in November 1999.
In 1996 Mal created the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation to introduce tennis to inner city youth. In the following years the Foundation would expand to include after-school homework assistance and programs focusing on life skills, positive behavior, financial education and success principles.
Mal is the Broker/Owner of Diamond Life Realty, a real estate brokerage and investment company based in Jacksonville Beach. In December 2010, Mal achieved a 21 year goal when he received a Bachelor Degree in Finance, from the Coggin College of Business at the University of North Florida at the age of 41.
Mal and his wife Jennifer have two adult children and are lifelong fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Recognitions
USTA Florida Hall of Fame
2023 Althea Gibson Trailblazer Award
2022 National Association of Realtors Good Neighbor Award
2021 Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Rock of the Community Award
2015 USTA NJTL Founders Service Award
2011 Leadership Jacksonville Celebration Award
2009 Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Citizen of the Year
2009 ATP Tour Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award
2007 One-Jax Young Professionals Award
Local and National Involvement
UNF Student Affairs Community Council
National Association of Realtors
Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR)
Leadership Jacksonville
MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation
