Tennis dad

Tennis dad is a term that defines a father of a tennis player. A tennis dad usually is someone who enthusiastically and actively supports his child or children’s involvement and development in tennis. Most tennis dads are hands-on when it comes to the tennis career of their children. This term was first coined in the Syracuse Herald Journal in the 1980s.

There are several roles that tennis dads play in the professional career of their children. Some tennis dads are like coaches who are always there to make sure that their children are doing their best in shaping their skills. There are also those who manage everything their children are doing, from daily practices to attendance in sporting events as well as how their children’s earnings should be spent.

There are many players who have been very thankful that their dads are always there supporting them in their tennis careers. But there are also those who have experienced difficulties like being taken advantage of for the money they are earning.

In the history of tennis, there have been a good number of tennis dads that have sparked the interest of the public because of their negative behavior that have affected the careers of their children. One of these is the father of Mary Pierce, Jim Pierce. Pierce had been reported to physically and verbally abuse his daughter and often make shameful outbursts during tournaments. This behavior banned him from all WTA tournaments and warranted a restraining order from her daughter.

Steffi Graf’s father, Peter Graf also makes it to the infamous tennis dad’s. He was imprisoned for tax evasion that involved the earnings of his daughter. This mismanagement of funds, had tainted a negative image not only to Peter himself, but also to the tennis legend.

Another name worth mentioning when talking about infamous tennis dads is Damir Dokic. He is the father of Jelena Dokic who was once reported to have been kicked out from a Wimbledon championship game because of breaking a journalist’s camera as well as from a U.S. Open tournament for complaining about the cost of salmon.

John Tomic, the father and coach of Bernard Tomic also caught the ire of the public because of his notorious behavior including the highly publicized hitting and assaulting of his son’s partner.

Last but not the least is Mike Agassi, the father of the famous Andre Agassi who won 8 Grand Slam titles. It was shared in his son’s autobiography that he was violent and had been the reason why the famous player sometimes hates the sport that he is considered a legend. But despite these, Mike was still considered by his son as his major motivator in his tennis career.