Tennis Dads Who Coach Their Kids

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Feb 15, 2012

Tennis Dads Who Coach Their Kids

Piotr Wozniacki

Wozniacki was key to his daughter's rise to No. 1, but many doubt she has the offensive weapons needed to win a major. The Woznicaki camp brought in Spanish coach Ricardo Sanchez, but fired him after the 2012 Australian Open after just two months on the job. "If Caroline finds a coach that she thinks might suit her, we'll take him," Piotr said after dismissing Sanchez. Here's a look at some of the most notable tennis dads who have coached their kids.

Richard Williams

Under Richard's tutelage, Venus and Serena have combined for 20 Grand Slam singles titles and both have reached No. 1. He's also been been a controversial figure on the WTA Tour. The Williams sisters haven't played the Indian Wells event since 2001 after Richard claimed taunts and jeers aimed at the family were racially motivated. "It's the worst act of prejudice I've seen since they killed Martin Luther King," Williams said at the time.

Yuri Sharapova

Yuri famously relocated to the United States with very little money so his daughter could have better development resources. He has made headlines for illegal coaching from the stands and rankled some of Sharapova's rivals with his conduct during matches. Yuri has become less of a presence in recent years and Sharapova, a three-time major champion, is coached primarily by Thomas Hogstedt now.

Dr. Richard Lisicki

Dr. Lisicki introduced his daughter to tennis at age 7 after school and has coached her into a top-15 player.

Wayne Bryan

Wayne coached Mike (left) and Bob and was voted the World TeamTennis Coach of the Year for three straight years from 2004-2006. Wayne is also an avid musician, a trait he has passed on to his sons.

Walter Bartoli

Bartoli left his career as a doctor to coach his daughter, but their professional relationship has been tense at times. At '11 Wimbledon, Bartoli waved wildly to get her father to leave the stands during her match against Flavia Pennetta. Walter's coaching has also created a rift with the French Federation of Tennis, which won't allow players on its Olympic or Fed Cup team to use outside coaches. Bartoli, France's only player in the top 50, hasn't competed in Fed Cup since 2004.

Jimmy Evert

Evert attended Note Dame on a tennis scholarship and later went on to win the men's singles title at the 1947 Canadian Championships. He coached all five of his children, and began giving daughter Chris tennis lessons when she was 5. Chris ascended to No. 1 and won at least won Grand Slam singles title in 13 consecutive years (1974-86).

John Tomic

The elder Tomic has had some tension with Tennis Australia, including a heated moment at the 2010 Australian Open where he blamed tournament director Craig Tiley for Tomic's second-round loss to Marin Cilic.

Stefano Capriati

Capriati has stood by his decision to allow his daughter to turn professional at age 13. He maintains that she "was just like any other teenager and tennis had nothing to do with it," despite her arrests for shoplifting and possession of marijuana. While Jennifer apologized for those incidents, Stefano said he would "do it exactly the same way again," referring to letting his daughter turn pro so young.

Damir Dokic

Dokic had numerous incidents while coaching his daughter and was ultimately banned from attending WTA events. He was thrown out of the 2000 U.S. Open for abusive behavior in the players' lounge and smashed a reporter's cell phone to pieces at that year's Wimbledon. In 2001, he accused Australian Open organizers of fixing the draw. Later, Dokic was sentenced to 15 months in jail after threatening to kill the Australian ambassador. Damir was released after serving just under a year and reconciled with Jelena after eight years of separation.

Donald Young Sr.

Donald Sr. and his wife, Illona, have led the charge in their son's development since he was 3. It has caused a tenuous relationship with the USTA, which offered Young a full-time coach and training facilities if his parents relinquished control. The situation reached its low when Young sent out a profanity-laced tweet blasting the USTA in April 2011.

Jim Pierce

Pierce introduced his daughter to tennis at age 10 and she turned pro at 14 in 1989. The relationship spiraled downward, with reports that Jim was physically and verbally abusive toward his daughter. In June 1993, Jim was banned from attending events by the Women's Tennis Council. In July, after Jim attacked his daughter's bodyguard, Mary took out a restraining order against her father and claimed he had threatened her life.

Robert Radwanska

Radwanska introduced Agnieszka (pictured) and Urszula to tennis at age 4 and 5, respectively. Agnieszka, a top-10 player, had worked with him for most of her career before going in a different direction in January 2012. She hired her sister's coaches, Borna Bikic (who was Jelena Dokic's coach) and Tomasz Wiktorowski. Robert still works with his daughters when they're home in Poland, but does not travel with them.

Arsalan Rezai

Arsalan was banned from the 2011 Australian Open after an alleged confrontation with his daughter in Melbourne, which he later denied . Like the Bartolis, their partnership also caused tension with FFT. Aravane, who seemed to be on track for competing for France at the London Olympics, was recently relieved of Fed Cup duties, though there were conflicting reports about whether she quit the team or was asked to leave.