Michigan State’s ace Matthew Forbes stokes "a fire that was missing" in college tennis

On Court 4 of the U Open grounds, Matt Forbes radiated confidence and charisma synonymous with his game. A game characterized by a pronounced “venga” after a blistering forehand winner that leaves opponents frozen in time; a bellowed, repeated “yeah” following a supersonic serve blasted clean down the T; and now, with Michigan State, a prideful “Go Green” after clinching match wins at the NCAA Singles Championship—as just a sophomore.

Yet before even arriving in East Lansing, Forbes already made history for the Spartans. The 2024 USTA Boys’ 18s National Champion earned a spot in the US Open men’s draw and became the first active Spartan to compete at Flushing Meadows.

“I think that was probably the best thing that's happened to me,” Forbes told TENNIS.com when reflecting on his 2024 US Open first-round match against Roman Safiulin.

With big groundstrokes and booming grunts, an 18-year old Forbes pushed the former world No. 36 to a second set tie-break in the blistering New York City heat, before eventually falling in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-2.

After the match, Forbes went viral on social media—not for his valiant effort against a professional nearly a decade his senior, but for a celebration after securing a break. On court, Forbes made a gesture to emphasize just how big his “confidence” was, a not-so-subtle reference to a certain body part.

“I watched the match for the first time maybe a month or two ago. It was probably the hardest thing I had to watch, like I couldn't,” Forbes said.

The celebration didn’t come from a place of impulsivity or immaturity. Forbes prides himself on playing with loud aggression, but what fans witnessed on court was an added layer of frustration that had been building months before his appearance in the Big Apple.

Forbes was in the midst of a rough stretch in his career. Before the National Championship in Kalamazoo, the No. 5 ranked prospect in his class failed to string together more than two wins at a single event. That summer, he also made the difficult decision to decommit from UNC Chapel Hill–where he had been committed since 2023– and joining MSU. The string of disappointing results, narratives around his college decision, and a feeling of being overlooked led to a newfound anger he carried with him on court.

“It brought tears to my eyes,” Matthew’s older sister, Abigail, said. “When people say that Matthew is cocky and arrogant, I call that a cop out. You're making a judgment based off of who you want him to be, because what [they] don't want to see is a person who is confident in themselves while being Black.”

Self-belief is a hereditary trait in the Forbes family.

Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, Abigail first picked up a tennis racquet inspired by the tennis game-mode on Wii Sports. Shortly thereafter, a Wii remote became an actual tennis racquet.

Abbey soon began taking formal tennis lessons, with her little brother following her on court. Out of boredom, Matt picked up a racquet for the first time at the age of two and swung it around aimlessly in an attempt to imitate his big sister.

Aside from the gaming console, the Forbes siblings' love and appreciation for tennis was inspired by their late grandmother, Theresa Hamilton. She arrived in the United States from Jamaica with “$1,000 and a dream,” and her introduction to the sport came through frequent trips to the U.S. Open, thanks to perks from her job at J.P. Morgan, a sponsor of the Grand Slam event.

Having picked up a racquet herself many years ago, Hamilton not only fell in love with tennis but also understood the opportunities it could provide for a Jamaican immigrant and her family in the United States. Growing up in predominantly white, suburban spaces, tennis provided confidence and a sense of belonging for both her grandchildren in environments that were not always made for them to be a part of.

“We definitely experienced unconscious bias, maybe a little bit of indirect racism. However, it was never an internal feeling of anxiety around ‘Well, should I be here? Should I not?’ We always felt like we belonged and that our racquets could do the talking,” Abbey said.

I really do believe that Matthew will change the sport of tennis forever. Abbey Forbes on brother Matthew Forbes

And do the talking they did.

Abbey, like her brother, was a Blue Chip recruit as a junior and won the 2019 Wimbledon girls’ doubles title. She carried that success into college, playing for both UNC and UCLA, where she became a two-time All-American and a 2023 national champion with the Tarheels, the same season she was pursuing an MBA.

And although Abbey chose to conclude her competitive tennis journey at the collegiate level, Matt’s aspirations go far beyond. His goal is to become a Top 10 player in the world, and at this rate, that goal seems increasingly within reach.

As the highest-ranked true freshman in the 2024 Fall season, Forbes posted a 20-12 singles record, finished 2-0 against opponents inside the top 100 of ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings and received MSU”s first-ever Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor.

Now as a sophomore, Forbes competed in his first-ever NCAA Singles Championship and continued to make history in Spartan Green—alongside Ozan Baris—by both earning individual All-American status in the same season. His highlight-ridden performances this past Fall placed him at No.3 in the ITA rankings coming into the current Spring season, earning him the No. 1 spot at Michigan State in only his second collegiate season.

“I mean, [Abbey] was two in the country, unfortunately, so she has me beat by one spot,” Matt joked.

After the US Open, Forbes prioritizes not only his wins but the way those wins manifest as well. The 19-year-old is aware that he’s not only representing himself, his family and his school when stepping on to a tennis court, but a deeper reputation for players that look like himself at the highest levels of the sport.

While Forbes feels that many in the tennis world view Black players as “loud” and “ignorant”, he hopes to display the many positives players that look like him truly bring to the sport.

“I feel like the sport could use more people that look like me, for sure,” Forbes said.
“Ben[Shelton], Coco [Gauff], [Frances] Tiafoe, even college with me, Stiles Brockett…we all bring a fire [with] us that I think tennis was missing for like 10 years.”

Forbes’ own fire spurs from something even greater than tennis: his older brother, Luke. In 2019, Luke was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia at just the age of 15. Matt was only 13.

Luke completed chemotherapy treatment in August of 2022, and his cancer went into remission the following year, but the treatment was long and grueling, made even more challenging by Luke’s moderate-to-severe Autism Spectrum Disorder. Through monthly checkups and a primary round of treatment that caused his older brother to lose 70 pounds, Matthew was by his side the entire time.

“The reason why Matthew cares so much is because he watched his brother look death in the face and say, ‘No, thanks,’” Abbey explains. “Matthew truly just loves tennis for tennis and he cares so much because his ‘Why?’ is so big. He puts his heart and soul into this because he knows that absolutely nothing could compare to the pain that his brother went through. Absolutely nothing.”

And for a kid that shows how much he cares on court the way Matt does, assistant coach Mike Flowers of Michigan State University wouldn't want him to act any other way. Forbes credits Flowers as one of the two most pivotal coaches he’s had in his life and in return, Flowers is grateful for a conversational and productive relationship with a player-the way he has with Forbes-but also having a person like Forbes in his program.

At the 2024 US Open on Court 4, Flowers didn’t see an arrogant, loud player. He just saw a kid “having fun on a tennis court.”

“He's got a big heart. What you see in a split second for sure isn't indicative of the kind of person he is,” Flowers said. “He's a good dude. He's one of the good guys, that's for sure.”

This spring, Forbes and the Spartans have quite a task ahead of them. After underachieving in the prior season with four first-years on the team, much was learned. Now, the team enters the season less focused on the big picture and results, and more on the small details they can control to get the most out of a team that Forbes believes has “top-five talent.”

But regardless how this season goes for her brother and the Spartans, Abbey is sure of one thing, and one thing only.

“Yes, his stats are absolutely incredible. The fact that he reached No. 3 in the country as a sophomore is quite literally insane and should be talked about—but I can also look all of that up on Google,” Abbey said.

“The amazing person that Matthew is. The mentor that Matthew has become to so many young black boys who look up to him. I get messages from them all the time. I really do believe that Matthew will change the sport of tennis forever.”