Darian King (born 26 April 1992 in Bridgetown) is a Barbadian tennis player. He has a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ranking of world No. 106 achieved on 8 May 2017, and a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 156 achieved on 21 October 2019. He has represented Barbados at the Davis Cup and at the 2016 Olympics. His first Grand Slam appearance came at the 2017 US Open, where he lost to fourth seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Personal life King was born on April 26, 1992, in Bridgetown, Barbados, where he currently resides. His father played field hockey and his mother played net ball and died of pancreatic cancer in 2010. He has 3 siblings; 2 brothers and 1 sister. One of the brothers, Christopher, is King's current head coach. He is good friends with many tennis players Frances Tiafoe, Dustin Brown, Noah Rubin, Taylor Townsend, and Sloane Stephens. His favorite athlete is Usain Bolt.
Career Junior career King began playing tennis at the age of 8 and grew up idolizing Gaël Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Dustin Brown (now good friends with King). He played his first junior match in April 2006 at the age of 13 at a grade 4 tournament in Barbados. During his junior career, King made both the singles and doubles draw in 3 of the 4 boys grand slams in 2010 where he failed to make it past the first round once in the singles and made it to the second round twice in the doubles. In one tournament, he defeated future world No. 3 and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem. He ended his junior career with a high ranking of 47 in both the singles and the doubles (both attained on January 4, 2010) and a record of 78–47 in singles and 81–35 in doubles.
Junior Grand Slam results – Singles:
Australian Open: A (-) French Open: 1R (2010) Wimbledon: 1R (2010) US Open: 1R (2010)
Junior Grand Slam results – Doubles:
Australian Open: A (-) French Open: 2R (2010) Wimbledon: 2R (2010) US Open: 1R (2010)
Professional career King officially turned pro in 2010 at the age of 17. He was considering on playing college tennis at UCLA but made the decision to turn pro instead. Between 2011 and 2016, King would go on to make 22 ITF futures finals, winning 13 of them. The first one of those titles was at a M25 tournament in Manzanillo in 2012. These results would continuously improve his year-end ranking.
In 2014 at the Charlottesville Challenger, King threw his racket at a lineswoman which got him defaulted. The incident went widespread throughout the tennis community and internet.
In 2015 at the Citi Open, King became the first Barbadian to qualify for an ATP event. He lost to Go Soeda in the first round in straight sets.
In 2016, King made his first challenger final at the 2016 Milo Open Cali. In the final, he defeated top seed Víctor Estrella Burgos in three sets to win his first challenger title. Two weeks later, he won another challenger title at the 2016 Levene Goulding and Thompson Tennis Challenger defeating Mitchell Krueger in the final in straight sets. Two months later, he would win his third challenger title of the year at the 2016 Tiburon Challenger defeating Michael Mmoh in the final in straight sets. This would also be the year that King played in the 2016 Summer Olympics having been invited to play in the main draw in the singles. He lost to eventual quarterfinalist Steve Johnson in the first round in straight sets.
In 2017, King became the first Barbadian to win an ATP match at the Memphis Open when he won against 5th seed Bernard Tomic in straight sets. He would then follow this up with back to back second round appearances at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, losing to his idol Gaël Monfils in Indian Wells in three sets and to David Goffin in Miami both in straight sets. He reached his career high-ranking of 106 on May 8, 2017. He then went into the 2017 Wimbledon qualifying as 8th send and made it to the qualifying competition before being eliminated by Lukáš Rosol in 4 sets. He qualified for the 2017 US Open for his first and only grand slam. He lost to 4th seed Alexander Zverev in very close straight sets. He finished 2017 with a fourth challenger final at the 2017 Stockton Challenger where he lost to Cameron Norrie in straight sets.
Throughout 2018–2021 his ranking would slowly start to decline. He made two more challenger finals at the 2018 Indian Wells Challenger and the 2019 Orlando Open but lost both. He also made three more qualifying competitions at Grand Slams. Twice at the Australian Open (2018), (2019) and once at the US Open (2019). He would once again lose every single one. He did have some success in doubles, however. In the doubles, he would make 26 ITF futures finals and win 18 of them. In the challenger tour, he made seven challenger finals and won four of them. He's also known for partnering with Peter Polansky on numerous occasions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, King underwent wrist surgery which would keep him inactive until February 2021.
Davis Cup King made his Davis Cup debut in 2009 at the age of 16. During his time with the Barbadian Davis Cup team, he posted a win–loss record of 29–11 in singles, 11–11 in doubles, and 40–22 overall.
Challenger and Futures finals
Singles: 32 (18–14) Legend (singles)ATP Challenger Tour (3–3)ITF Futures/World Tennis Tour (15–11)Titles by surfaceHard (10–14)Clay (8–0)Grass (0–0)Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss0–1USA F23, ClaremontFuturesHard Steve Johnson2–6, 3–6Loss0–2USA F20, JoplinFuturesHard Sébastien Boltz3–6, 3–6Win1–2Mexico F9, ManzanilloFuturesHard Alexandre Schnitman6–4, 5–0 ret.Win2–2Mexico F11, ManzanilloFuturesHard Yoshihito Nishioka6–0, 6–1Loss2–3Mexico F6, PueblaFuturesHard Miguel Gallardo Valles6–3, 3–6, 2–6Win3–3USA F20, JoplinFuturesHard Alexander Sarkissian6–3, 7–6(7–3)Loss3–4Mexico F16, Quintana RooFuturesHard David Souto6–4, 4–6, 1–6Loss3–5Mexico F17, Quintana RooFuturesHard Michael Quintero5–7, 6–0, 2–6Win4–5USA F7, SunriseFuturesClay Marc Rath6–7(2–7), 7–5, 6–1Win5–5Romania F11, IașiFuturesClay Filip Horanský7–6(10–8), 6–0Win6–5Netherlands F6, RotterdamFuturesClay Julien Obry2–6, 6–3, 6–2Loss6–6Mexico F12, HuatulcoFuturesHard Agustín Velotti1–6, 6–4, 5–7Win7–6Panama F1, Panama CityFuturesClay Bastian Trinker6–2, 6–2Loss7–7USA F13, Little RockFuturesHard Jason Jung3–6, 6–4, 4–6Win8–7USA F15, Orange ParkFuturesClay Stefan Kozlov6–2, 3–6, 6–0Win9–7Mexico F4, CórdobaFuturesHard Ernesto Escobedo7–5, 5–7, 6–4Win10–7USA F19, TulsaFuturesHard Noah Rubin2–6, 7–5, 6–0Win11–7Venezuela F3, Margarita IslandFuturesHard Peđa Krstin6–3, 1–0 ret.Win12–7El Salvador F2, La LibertadFuturesHard Marcelo Arévalo7–6(8–6), 6–4Win13–7Mexico F1, CórdobaFuturesHard Adam El Mihdawy6–1, 6–4Loss13–8Mexico F2, PachucaFuturesHard Marcelo Tomás Barrios Vera1–6, 6–7(3–7)Loss13–9USA F18, Winston-SalemFuturesHard Sekou Bangoura3–6, 2–6Win14-9Cali, ColombiaChallengerClay Víctor Estrella Burgos5–7, 6–4, 7–5Win15-9Binghamton, USAChallengerHard Mitchell Krueger6–2, 6–3Win16-9Tiburon, USAChallengerHard Michael Mmoh7–6(7–2), 6–2Loss16-10Stockton, USAChallenger Hard Cameron Norrie 1–6, 3–6Loss16-11Indian Wells, USAChallengerHard Martin Kližan3–6, 3–6Loss16-12Orlando, USAChallengerHard Marcos Giron4–6, 4–6Loss16-13M15 Santo Domingo, Dominican RepublicWorld Tennis TourHard Bernard Tomic3–6, 6–4, 3–6Loss16-14M15 Ithaca, USAWorld Tennis TourHard Radu Mihai Papoe6–1, 4–6, 2–6Win17-14M15 Rochester, USAWorld Tennis TourClay Ignacio Monzón6–0, 7–6(7–2)Win18-14M15 Pittsburgh, USAWorld Tennis TourClay Juan Carlos Aguilar4–6, 6–3, 6–3
Doubles: 33 (22–11) Legend (doubles)ATP Challenger Tour (4–3)ITF Futures Tour (18–8)Titles by surfaceHard (17–8)Clay (5–3)Grass (0–0)Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin1–0Canada F1, MontrealFuturesHard (i) Haydn Lewis Maxime Authom Adrien Bossel6–4, 2–6, [10–5]Loss1–1Venezuela F3, CaracasFuturesHard Armando Javier Boschetti Piero Luisi Román Recarte6–3, 2–6, [8–10]Win2–1Mexico F3, Mexico CityFuturesHard Haydn Lewis Christopher Díaz Figueroa Miguel Gallardo Valles6–3, 6–4Loss2–2Mexico F4, GuadalajaraFuturesHard Haydn Lewis Luis Díaz Barriga Antonio Ruiz-Rosales6–7(7–9), 4–6 Loss2–3Canada F5, TorontoFuturesClay Sekou Bangoura Maciek Sykut Denis Zivkovic2–6, 1–6 Win3–3Mexico F5, CelayaFuturesHard Devin Britton Ben Wagland Marious Zelba2–6, 6–4, [10–4] Win4–3Mexico F6, GuadalajaraFuturesHard Devin Britton Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela Bruno Rodríguez6–3, 5–7, [10–4]Win5–3USA F16, Indian Harbour BeachFuturesClay Ruben Gonzales Kevin King Juan Carlos Spir6–2, 3–6, [10–4]Loss5–4USA F20, JoplinFuturesHard Yuri Bezeruk Harrison Adams Shane Vinsant3–6, 6–2, [11–13]Loss5–5Mexico F10, ManzanilloFuturesHard Christopher Díaz Figueroa Marcelo Arévalo Miguel Ángel Reyes-Varela1–6, 5–7Win6–5Mexico F14, MéridaFuturesHard Yuri Bezeruk Mauricio Astorga Marvin Barker6–3, 6–1Win7–5Mexico F1, IxtapaFuturesHard Chris Letcher Theodoros Angelinos Antoine Benneteau6–3, 6–1Loss7–6Mexico F6, PueblaFuturesHard Alex Llompart Miguel Gallardo Valles Alan Núñez Aguilera4–6, 1–6Loss7–7Greece F9, ThessalonikiFuturesClay Dominik Schulz Konstantinos Economidis Alexandros Jakupovic1–6, 2–6Win8–7Mexico F14, PachucaFuturesHard Christopher Díaz Figueroa Dean O'Brien Juan Carlos Spir6–4, 2–6, [10–8]Loss8–8USA F6, Boynton BeachFuturesClay Daniel Garza Collin Altamirano Deiton Baughman4–6, 4–6Win9–8USA F7, SunriseFuturesClay Cătălin Gârd Li Yuanfeng Wil Spencer6–2, 6–1Win10–8USA F8, PlantationFuturesClay Cătălin Gârd Juan Ignacio Galarza Patricio Heras6–2, 6–4Win11–8Panama F1, Panama CityFuturesClay Julio Peralta Iván Endara Eduardo Agustín Torrew/oWin12–8USA F10, BakersfieldFuturesHard Sekou Bangoura Mitchell Krueger Connor Smith6–4, 4–6, [10–7]Win13–8USA F21, WichitaFuturesHard Sanam Singh Gonzales Austin Max Schnur6–3, 6–3Win14–8Venezuela F3, Margarita IslandFuturesHard Luis Fernando Ramírez Christopher Díaz Figueroa Franco Feitt6–2, 3–6, [10–7]Win15–8El Salvador F2, La LibertadFuturesHard Emilio Gómez Marcelo Arévalo Christopher Díaz Figueroa6–3, 7–6(12–10)Win16–8Greece F3, HeraklionFuturesHard Ricardo Rodríguez Daniel Appelgren Christian Samuelsson7–6(8–6), 6–1Win17–8Mexico F2, PachucaFuturesHard Ruben Gonzales José Daniel Bendeck Alejandro Moreno Figueroa6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–3), [10–4]Win18–8USA F23, WichitaFuturesHard Sekou Bangoura Nicolas Meister Eric Quigley6–2, 6–3Win1–0Medellín, ColombiaChallengerClay Miguel ÁngelReyes-Varela Nicolás Jarry Roberto Quiroz 6–4, 6–4Loss1–1Gatineau, CanadaChallengerHard Peter Polansky Robert Galloway Bradley Klahn6–7(4–7), 6–4, [8–10]Win2–1Stockton, USAChallengerHard Noah Rubin Sanchai Ratiwatana Christopher Rungkat6–3, 6–4Loss2–2Indian Wells, USAChallengerHard Hunter Reese JC Aragone Marcos Giron4–6, 4–6Win3–2Winnipeg, CanadaChallengerHard Peter Polansky Adil Shamasdin Hunter Reese7–6(10–8), 6–3Loss3-3Tiburon, USAChallengerHard JC Aragone Robert Galloway Roberto Maytín2-6, 5-7Win4–3Fairfield, CanadaChallengerHard Peter Polansky Sem Verbeek André Göransson6–4, 3–6, [12–10]
Performance timelines
Singles Current through the 2022 Davis Cup.