I was 300-1 odds to win Wimbledon, but shocked London with a historic run, only to see my tennis career come to a sudden, painful end.

Some tennis stars dominate the green grass of the center court every year.

If Carlos Alcaraz returns to the men’s final at Wimbledon in 2024, no one will be shocked.

But other tennis names briefly appear in the tennis world at SW19, then disappear just as quickly and are never seen again.

No one understands this anomaly better than MaliVai Washington.

The New York-born right-hander won 254 matches, captured four tournament titles and reached No. 11 in the world.

But in 1996, Washington had the race of his life as he rode round after round in southwest London.

Boris Becker, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier were eliminated at Wimbledon.

Washington continued to win and advance.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is an opportunity for someone to make their first Wimbledon final,'” Washington said. “I was in that position.”

His previous victories over Mats Wilander, Michael Chang and Stefan Edberg gave birth to his 1996 magic.

Just like his triumph over number 1 Andre Agassi.

But Washington was different at Wimbledon – as was Chang at the 1989 French Open – and his unique run was highlighted by an incredible match against Todd Martin.

Washington trailed 5-1 to Martin in the fifth set of the semifinals.

The American turned the match around by winning 10-8 in the deciding set.

With odds of 300-1 to win the sport’s most prestigious tournament, Washington suddenly found itself in the final.

“Down 5-1, as I explained, that’s the great thing about sports,” Washington said. “Every year, in every sport, in every Grand Slam, there are things that defy all logic.

“How do I come back from being 5-1 down against Todd Martin, one of the biggest servers on tour, on grass? I don’t know.

“I joke that one day, if I get to heaven, what I’m going to do is ask God and say, ‘Hey, God, you’ve got all these players over there with like 20 majors.’ Why can’t I have one?

“I have this vision of God saying to me: “Really, is that the question? The reason you reached the final and won from 5-1 down was because you prayed really hard for a change of sides. I said, “You know what? It’s 5-1. Let’s throw them a bone. »

“I threw you a bone, and now you’re in heaven, and you’re sitting here asking me why you couldn’t win the tournament. Come on, Mal!’ That’s my idea of ​​what could happen.”

Washington almost won Wimbledon despite being 300-1 at odds – and looking surreal as a streaker.

But his magical journey finally came to an end.

He seriously injured his knee seven months after reaching the final, then retired after two operations.

Washington never played at Wimbledon again.

He focused on real estate and the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, which supported inner-city children.

“We started as a tennis program, but now we are more of an education and life skills based program with a tennis component,” Washington said.

The 2024 Wimbledon tournament begins on Monday with the men’s and women’s first rounds.