Professional tennis is difficult enough for any aspiring player, but the challenge can become even greater when your surname already carries expectations.
The children of former champions often receive opportunities other young players could only dream about. They may grow up around professional tournaments, practise with elite coaches, understand the demands of international travel and receive guidance from parents who have already experienced the pressures of the tour.
However, they also inherit constant comparisons.
Every result is measured against the achievements of their mother or father. Every wildcard attracts scrutiny, and every defeat can lead to questions about whether talent—or simply a famous surname—opened the door.
Despite those pressures, a growing number of second-generation players have successfully established professional careers of their own.
Casper Ruud: The Child Who Surpassed the Parent
The strongest candidate for the most successful child of a former professional tennis player is Norway’s Casper Ruud.
His father, Christian Ruud, was Norway’s leading player during the 1990s. He reached a career-high ranking of world No.39 and represented his country at three Olympic Games.
Casper has taken the family name considerably further.
He has reached world No.2, contested three Grand Slam singles finals and become the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title, an ATP Masters 1000 title and reach a major final. He has also qualified for the ATP Finals on several occasions.
Christian has remained closely involved as his son’s coach, but the relationship appears to have succeeded because the father has generally allowed the player to remain at the centre of the career.
Casper has not yet won a Grand Slam title, but measured by ranking, consistency, titles and major-final appearances, he has comfortably surpassed his father.
Taylor Fritz: From a Tennis Family to the Top Five
American Taylor Fritz was almost born onto a tennis court.
His mother, Kathy May, reached the world’s top 10 and made three Grand Slam quarter-finals. His father, Guy Fritz, played professionally before becoming a respected coach.
Taylor has progressed even further, reaching a career-high ranking of world No.4, winning major ATP titles and emerging as one of the leading American men of his generation.
The Fritz story demonstrates one of the great advantages available to children of elite players: they understand the professional environment before they enter it.
Tournament travel, rankings, coaching relationships, recovery and the emotional highs and lows of competition are not unfamiliar concepts. They are part of family life.
Ben Shelton: Father, Coach and Emerging Star
Ben Shelton’s rapid rise has provided another compelling father-and-son story.
His father, Bryan Shelton, reached world No.55, won two ATP singles titles and later became a highly successful university coach.
Ben has already climbed as high as world No.5, won multiple ATP titles and reached the semi-finals of both the US Open and Australian Open.
Importantly, Bryan did not push his son exclusively towards tennis from an early age. Ben played other sports before committing seriously to tennis during his teenage years.
That experience challenges the belief that every future professional must specialise almost from infancy. A broad sporting background can assist athleticism, movement, coordination and, perhaps most importantly, enjoyment.
Maria Sakkari and Her Mother’s Tennis Legacy
The family connection is not restricted to father-and-son partnerships.
Greek star Maria Sakkari is the daughter of former professional Angeliki Kanellopoulou, who reached world No.43.
Sakkari has surpassed that ranking by reaching world No.3, winning WTA titles and making two Grand Slam semi-finals. She has become the most successful Greek woman of the modern professional era.
Her career is one of the strongest mother-daughter examples in professional tennis, although the sport has historically produced fewer prominent mother-daughter combinations than father-son partnerships.
That may partly reflect the era in which previous generations of women competed. Many leading female players retired younger, earned less money and received fewer coaching opportunities after their playing careers. Those structural differences are gradually changing.
Sebastian Korda: A Family of Champions
Few sporting families can match the Kordas.
Petr Korda won the 1998 Australian Open and reached world No.2. His wife, Regina Rajchrtová, was also a top-30 professional player.
Their son Sebastian has become an established ATP player and tournament champion, although he has not yet matched his father’s Grand Slam achievement.
Remarkably, Sebastian’s sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda chose professional golf. Nelly became a major champion, Olympic gold medallist and world No.1, while Jessica also won multiple LPGA titles.
The Kordas may not yet be tennis’s greatest parent-child combination, but they have a legitimate claim to being one of the most extraordinary all-round sporting families.
Other Children Who Followed Famous Parents
A number of other players have carried celebrated tennis surnames:
- Elizabeth Mandlik is the daughter of four-time Grand Slam singles champion Hana Mandlíková.
- Brandon Holt is the son of former world No.1 and two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin.
- Leo Borg is the son of 11-time Grand Slam champion Björn Borg.
- Emilio Sánchez and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario emerged from one of Spain’s most successful tennis families, although they were siblings rather than parent and child.
- India’s Ramesh Krishnan followed his father Ramanathan Krishnan, a two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, into the upper levels of international tennis.
- Stefanos Tsitsipas is the son of former professional Julia Salnikova and has reached world No.3 and contested two Grand Slam finals.
- Alexander and Mischa Zverev are the sons of former Soviet professional players Alexander Zverev Sr and Irina Zvereva.
The Australian Open has identified Sebastian Korda, Maria Sakkari, Casper Ruud, Ben Shelton, Leo Borg and Brandon Holt among the active players who followed professional parents into tennis.
Australia’s Next Famous Tennis Son
Australian tennis is now watching another second-generation story develop.
Cruz Hewitt, the son of former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt, recorded his first ATP Tour-level victory in Washington in July 2026.
The 17-year-old defeated Marcos Giron after recently finishing runner-up in the Wimbledon boys’ singles final. It represented a major early breakthrough, but comparisons with his father must remain realistic: Lleyton became the youngest men’s world No.1 in history and won the US Open and Wimbledon.
Cruz deserves the opportunity to develop his own identity rather than being expected to reproduce one of Australia’s greatest careers.
A famous name may open a few doors, but it cannot win matches at professional level.
How Does Tennis Compare with Other Sports?
Sporting families are hardly unique to tennis.
In Australian cricket, Geoff Marsh represented Australia before his sons Shaun and Mitchell became international players. Mitchell went on to captain Australia and become an influential all-rounder, while Shaun enjoyed a long international and domestic career.
Football has produced the Maldini dynasty at AC Milan. Cesare Maldini played for and managed the club, while his son Paolo became one of the greatest defenders in football history. Paolo’s son Daniel later represented Milan, creating a rare three-generation professional sporting family.
Peter Schmeichel won major trophies with Manchester United and Denmark before his son Kasper became a Premier League champion with Leicester City and represented Denmark.
In basketball, Dell Curry enjoyed a productive NBA career before his sons Stephen and Seth reached the league. Stephen Curry did not merely follow his father—he transformed the sport and became one of basketball’s greatest players.
American football has the Manning family. Archie Manning was a distinguished NFL quarterback, while sons Peyton and Eli both won multiple Super Bowls.
Motorsport has also produced prominent family succession. Jos Verstappen raced in Formula One before his son Max became a multiple world champion.
Women’s sport offers equally significant examples. Olympic distance runner Liz McColgan’s daughter Eilish became a Commonwealth Games champion and broke several of her mother’s national records.
Why Are Sporting Dynasties More Visible in Team Sports?
Team sports generally produce more recognisable father-son combinations because they offer considerably more professional positions.
A football league contains hundreds of contracted players. Major cricket systems include international, state, county, franchise and club opportunities. Basketball and baseball also provide extensive professional pathways.
Tennis is different.
Only a relatively small number of players earn enough prize money to sustain a comfortable career. There are no guaranteed weekly wages, and the player must personally fund coaching, travel, accommodation, medical treatment and support staff.
That makes becoming a successful second-generation tennis professional statistically difficult—even with an experienced parent.
Tennis also demands an unusually early family commitment. Parents may spend years driving to tournaments, paying for lessons and travelling internationally before knowing whether the child will ever earn a professional income.
This may help explain why former players are well positioned to guide their children. They understand both the opportunities and the financial risks.
Advantage, Expectation and Identity
Being the child of an elite player unquestionably provides advantages.
There may be superior coaching knowledge, financial resources, industry relationships and access to training partners. The child is also exposed to professional habits from an early age.
However, those benefits come with psychological costs.
The player may struggle to establish an individual identity. Spectators expect inherited greatness, while critics may dismiss achievements as the result of privilege. Parents must also navigate the difficult transition between being a mother or father and becoming a coach, manager or adviser.
The successful families appear to share one quality: the parent provides knowledge without attempting to relive their own career through the child.
And the Winner Is…
At this stage, Casper Ruud deserves recognition as the most successful tennis-playing child to have clearly surpassed an accomplished professional parent.
His world No.2 ranking, three Grand Slam finals, Masters 1000 success and sustained position among the game’s elite place him ahead of the other leading candidates.
Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas have also taken their family tennis legacies to a higher level, while Sebastian Korda remains part of arguably the most versatile elite sporting family.
Cruz Hewitt may one day enter that conversation, but his story is only beginning.
Ultimately, genetics and family knowledge may provide a head start, but professional tennis remains brutally democratic once the players walk onto the court.
A famous surname cannot serve an ace, save a break point or close out a championship.
The children still have to earn every victory themselves.
