I cried like a girl - Brown ... German-Jamaican gets emotional after big Wimbledon win

 LONDON (AP):

"I cried like a little girl," said Dustin Brown. "Just happy and emotional and everything. I have a lot of friends here, my coach is here, my girlfriend is here. I'm very happy about everything. Yeah, just been a very long way. Just happy that I actually got through the match."

A couple of years ago, struggling financially, Brown used to travel across Europe in a camper van without a permanent coach. Only the boldest bookmakers will now bet that he will return to this lifestyle after claiming the biggest win of his career yesterday at Wimbledon.

Sporting long dreadlocks and gifted with an old-fashioned serve-and-volley style of play, Brown won his first match in the Wimbledon main draw earlier this week. He then achieved his best Grand Slam performance by reaching the third round with a surprise win over former champion Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt was overwhelmed by Brown's aggressive strokes and unorthodox style of play as the qualifier came through 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2.

"I've had a couple chances already on the big stage to do well," said the 189th-ranked qualifier. "But always, when I've been this close, something happened or got in the way. I guess it helped that I'm playing Lleyton Hewitt. I'm like, Okay, what can I do? I just got to keep playing maximum two more sets. Win or lose, just go with it, just keep playing, try your best."

Brown, who was born in Germany to a Jamaican father and a German mother, changed nationality from Jamaican to German in 2010 because of the lack of financial support from the Jamaican federation. He moved to Jamaica as a 12-year-old boy and can speak Jamaican patois, German and English.

A big server, Brown is naturally attracted to the net. Against Hewitt, he tried his luck at the net 87 times and hit 74 winners. He won the first set with a diving forehand volley and produced some beautiful drop shots throughout the match.

Newly found fame

Brown stopped driving the camper van that his parents had given him years ago.

"I still have the van. It's parked in Germany at my parents' place," he said. "Just going from tournament to tournament, you can't do it."

But Brown promised that his newly found fame would not change him, and said he will keep his flamboyant look.

"I've looked like this for 28 years, so I'm pretty much used to it," the 28-year-old Brown said. "Everyone that didn't know me before today, they have to get used to it. I'm not going to change."

Boosted by the support of his vocal Australian supporters, Hewitt managed to win the third-set tiebreak but could not turn the match round.

"He's very unpredictable out there," Hewitt said. "It's tough. You don't know what's going to happen next."

The dreadlocked Brown was in tears after beating the former No. 1-ranked player.