1 year ago
17
Simon Cambers
Jul 1, 2025, 10:43 AM ET
WHEN BEN SHELTON was a young subordinate making large strides nether the guidance of his father, erstwhile nonrecreational Bryan Shelton, helium wanted thing much than to trial himself against his dad.
His father, though, was not truthful keen.
"My dada ne'er fto maine play against him," Shelton told ESPN. Expanding successful an on-court interrogation astatine the Australian Open earlier this year, helium added: "He would ne'er fto maine play him, I don't deliberation helium ever volition fto maine play him. He astir apt inactive thinks helium tin bushed me."
In a athletics wherever an expanding fig of players are children of erstwhile players, beating a genitor is thing of a rite of passage. But not everyone gets the accidental -- and immoderate don't adjacent privation to bushed their ma oregon dad.
Denmark's Casper Ruud is the lad of Christian Ruud, a erstwhile top-40 subordinate and the inspiration for Casper, who has reached 3 large finals and been ranked arsenic precocious arsenic No 2. Ultracompetitive, the Ruuds quality however aged Casper was erstwhile the torch passed betwixt the two.
"I thin to accidental I was 15, and helium would say, no, you were similar 17, truthful we can't hold connected it," Ruud told ESPN. "I would adjacent accidental I was 14, but that was not regularly, similar it was astatine 15, 16. I bushed him erstwhile astatine 14."
In fact, erstwhile they did play a fewer matches with Ruud astatine 14, his dada added immoderate wealth into the bargain.
"The stake was benignant of like, if my dada bushed me, 6-0 and 6-1, I would beryllium him $20. If it was 6-2, it was neutral and each crippled implicit 6-2 was similar $10 per crippled for me. So if it was 6-3, it was 10 bucks and 6-4 was 20 bucks for me. And past somehow, 1 weekend, I was capable to bushed him 6-3, it was a spot retired of obscurity and helium didn't play well, truthful that's what I remember. He did bushed maine again, but from 15, 16, was erstwhile I started to truly win.
There was nary guilt erstwhile helium did commencement to win. "His curve was going this mode (down) and excavation was going this mode (up). So astatine immoderate constituent we would transverse paths and physically, he's not wherever helium was arsenic a player. So that was conscionable a question of time, I guess."
Maria Sakkari is 1 of the fewer women players to person a nonrecreational tennis-playing parent. The girl of erstwhile apical 40 subordinate Angeliki Kanellopoulou, Sakkari recalls playing games and tiebreaks against her ma erstwhile she was precise young.
"I retrieve a fewer summers that we would bid together," Sakkari told ESPN astatine Wimbledon. "She was inactive playing astatine the time. Then astatine immoderate constituent she broke her knee, truthful she stopped playing. It was a beauteous atrocious injury."
For Sakkari, the information that her parent could admit what she goes done was much important than trying to bushed her.
"I deliberation she truly enjoys the information that I became amended than her and that we had the accidental to bid a small spot unneurotic successful the past," Sakkari said. "But it's besides precise important that she keeps her relation much of a mother. She gives maine advice, but that's it, and which is great, due to the fact that past we person a large equilibrium arsenic a family."
Canadian Denis Shapovalov was coached by his mother, Tessa Shapovalova, for galore years. Shapovalova played connected the Soviet Union nationalist squad earlier becoming a manager and Shapovalov said they ne'er truly played matches against each other.
"We did immoderate constituent situations and worldly similar that, particularly erstwhile I was overmuch younger," Shapovalov told ESPN astatine Wimbledon. "There's a mates of YouTube videos wherever I'm a small kid and I was playing against her. She was benignant of tapping the shot to me. It was amusive to play against her but we ne'er played sets and worldly similar that. But for sure, I ever felt similar she could bushed me."
Seb Korda, the lad of erstwhile Australian Open champion Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova, a erstwhile apical 30 subordinate herself, is inactive waiting for a archetypal win.
"I person ne'er beaten either of them," the American said. "That's the problem. Last clip I played my dada I deliberation I was 13 years aged and helium either bageled maine oregon double-bageled me, and we ne'er played again. I'm definite if we played now, I would anticipation to win. But I conscionable don't privation to play him. He's everlastingly my idol, and it would beryllium weird to play him successful a lucifer and bushed him."
Jack Draper's father, Roger Draper, ne'er made it arsenic a pro but was a decent subordinate and aboriginal became CEO of the Lawn Tennis Association, the governing assemblage of tennis successful Britain. "It astir apt wasn't until I was astir 12, 13 wherever I could bushed my dad," satellite No. 4 Draper said. "For my member it was a small spot later."
Regardless of trying to bushed his father, Draper said the benefits of being successful a sporting situation were much important.
"Especially having an older member arsenic good who has ever beaten you," helium said. "Whether it's ping pong oregon tennis oregon anything, it truly benignant of builds that rival successful you until you bushed them. For instance, my brother, I deliberation I played him once, and helium bushed me. He's going to ever person that implicit me."
Taylor Fritz's mother, Kathy May, was ranked wrong the world's apical 10 astatine 1 stage. For a young Fritz, beating his mum was a large deal, but not arsenic large arsenic erstwhile helium passed her successful the rankings.
"I deliberation I could commencement beating my ma astir the property of similar 14," Fritz said. "I could bushed my dada earlier that due to the fact that he's beauteous old. I deliberation it was [more of] a large woody to bushed her career-high ranking and accidental that I'm the champion subordinate successful the family."
