It's one thing to grow up in a household of after-school lessons and Saturday morning family doubles.
But it's a whole other level when your parent is a former world No.1, Olympic champion, or major winner. Or, in one case, all of the above.
We present 10 active players who have a former professional parent, too.
1. Sebastian Korda
Parent: Petr Korda
It's only appropriate we start with the family that holds not one Australian Open title, but three. It was exactly 20 years after Petr Korda's 1998 AO triumph that his 17-year-old son, Sebastian, claimed the junior title in 2018 – emulating Petr's famed scissor-kick jump celebration to boot.
Sebi, as he's known, has continued that success into the pros, reaching the AO 2023 quarterfinals and hitting a career-high world No.15 in August 2024. He still has a ways to go to match his father, a former world No.2 and also the 1992 Roland Garros finalist.
Excellence runs through the entire family: Sebi's sister, Nelly, has two major titles and an Olympic gold in golf, while Jessica Korda has six career LPGA tournament wins. Their mother, Regina Rajchrtová, is a former world No.26 on the WTA Tour.
2. Maria Sakkari
Parent: Angeliki Kanellopoulou
"She always tells me to enjoy it because a tennis career is very short," Maria Sakkari said last year of her mother, Angeliki Kanellopoulou.
Theirs is a special bond, with Kanellopoulou reaching world No.43 in 1987 only to watch her daughter rise as high as No.3 – and reach a pair of major semifinals.
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"The main thing is having their support because they know exactly how we feel on the court," Sakkari said at the United Cup in 2023. "If I struggle, I can ask my mum for advice, which is very helpful."
3. Casper Ruud
Parent: Christian Ruud
When Norwegian Casper Ruud had his breakout run in 2019, breaking into the Top 100 at the age of 20, the conjecturing was thrilling: Who would be ranked higher – father or son?
Christian Ruud, Casper's dad and coach, peaked at world No.39 in 1995. But Casper soon had not only surpassed Christian but was knocking on the door of the biggest titles in men's tennis, finishing runner-up at the French Open (in both 2022 and 2023) and US Open (2022).
With 12 career titles, Casper has been as high as world No.3.
"It’s still competitive," a smiling Christian said in 2022, admitting the two Ruud boys have a hit once in a while. "And he likes to play rough with me also. I’m happy about that."
4. Ben Shelton
Parent: Bryan Shelton
Has there been a lightning-in-a-bottle player as captivating as Shelton in the last three years?
After helping his father Bryan's Florida Gators to the NCAA championship in 2021 and winning the singles title in 2022, Shelton exploded onto the men's tennis scene, first with a win over Ruud in Cincinnati, and then with a dazzling effort to get to the Australian Open 2023 quarters – in what was his first-ever trip abroad.
The Sheltons have become a travelling duo, with Bryan leaving his post at Florida to coach Ben full-time on tour.
"He helps me a lot and the fact that he can now give me instructions on the court is key to my progress," Ben Shelton. "I really admire what he did with me when I was little because he never put pressure on me, but instead let me try many sports."
5. Leo Borg
Parent: Bjorn Borg
Any parent who has made it as a tennis pro brings natural scrutiny if their child picks up the sport, but when they're a cultural icon like Bjorn Borg, that attention skyrockets.
Enter Leo Borg, who is doing things his own way at 21 years old as he looks for his own big breakthrough in tennis.
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The younger Borg reached world No.334 in 2023, and competes on both the ATP Challenger and ITF World Tennis Tours – and even drew Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Bastad, Sweden, ATP stop this July.
There is one place Leo has been exactly the same as his father: The silver screen. Leo, then 14, played a younger Bjorn in the 2018 motion picture, Borg vs. McEnroe.
6. Brandon Holt
Parent: Tracy Austin
There is something to admire about any player that goes through the challenges of tennis' lower levels, and that also includes Brandon Holt, the son of two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin.
A standout collegiate player for University of Southern California, Holt scored a headline-grabbing win over 12th-ranked Taylor Fritz at the 2022 US Open, upsetting his fellow SoCal native and good friend for his first major win.
Austin admitted what any tennis parent will tell you: Watching is harder than playing. "It’s so much different watching him play than playing myself,” Austin told the New York Times in 2022. "I’m just so nervous... I’m frazzled."
Brandon finished 2024 ranked 200th, splitting 20 matches (10-10) on the ATP Challenger circuit.
7. Elizabeth Mandlik
Parent: Hana Mandlikova
When American tennis player Elizabeth Mandlik qualified for her first French Open in 2023, she called her mother, the 1981 champion there, Hana Mandlikova, to share the good news. The problem? Hana was still such a mess of emotion she couldn't speak to her daughter.
Mandlikova had shared so little with her daughter about her 1981 RG triumph that Elizabeth had to encourage her mum to show off some highlights: "She doesn't bring it up at all," Mandlik said. "I asked her to show me some of [those] matches. It's pretty cool."
Still just 23, Mandlik reached a career-high of world No.97 last year, having scored her first main draw win at a major at the 2022 US Open.
Having grown up travelling with Mandlikova so her mum could play the legends events at major, Elizabth remembers realising she had a stand-out mum early on: "At the Grand Slams there was a daycare and [the] other kids were all like, 'Oh, so who's your mum?' I remember that."
8. Jagger Leach
Parent: Lindsay Davenport
That aforementioned parent who was a No.1, Olympic gold medalist and major champion? That would be Lindsay Davenport, who has passed on her height to 17-year-old son Jagger Leach.
The rising junior, who made the 2024 Wimbledon boys' quarterfinals plus two Grand Slam junior doubles semifinals alongside compatriot Kaylan Bigun, has signalled his intent to play college at TCU in Texas beginning in the next collegiate year.
"We have never had to force him to practise or make him go train. So we have always just tried to foster that love and give him all the opportunities we can," Davenport said.
“There is obviously a little bit of pressure on him being my son, but I think he handles it pretty well."
9. Cruz Hewitt
Player: Lleyton Hewitt
Not only has Cruz Hewitt grown up with Lleyton Hewitt as his father, but he's also done so at a time when Lleyton has been immersed in the coaching realm, meaning Cruz has had the opportunity to be the hitting partner to the likes of Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Cruz has come into his own in 2024, winning three ITF junior titles since August to break into the global top 100, and at times has been coached by Matt Reid, who has done stints with a fair share of the Australian pros.
"He’s like most kids these days, they just go about their thing," Lleyton said in October. "[But] one thing: He’s never been shy of playing on big courts or in front of people. So he sort of takes it in his stride."
Sound like someone familiar?
10. Lani Chang
Parent: Michael Chang
If we stay in the junior realm, there's another tennis name to know in 13-year-old Lani Chang, daughter of the great Michael Chang and his wife, former WTA player and two-time Stanford collegiate champion Amber Liu.
Lani Chang has criss-crossed the junior circuit already, playing the prestigious Orange Bowl and Les Petit As in the last year.
"I think it’s really important when they are this young to go out there and have fun," Chang told AFP about his daughter, whom he coaches part-time. "And have a passion for the sport. And then continue to work hard and see where things go.”
Who does Lani play more like – Chang or Liu? "[I'm] a bit of a mix of both,” Lani said. "I have my mum’s bulk. [And] dad plays smart, with variety."