Tennis stars whose children followed in their footsteps
Tennis is a way of life for some and for many, it is a family business.
Those who have reached elite levels in the sport often go on to be coaches and trainers and managers.
Who can blame their kids for wanting to follow in their footsteps, particularly when many of them took their first steps on a tennis court?
Here are all the tennis stars whose children have followed in their footsteps, including one father and son duo who are very close to home.
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Cruz Hewitt is the son of Lleyton Hewitt, the former world number 1 player who won the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002.
He is one of Australia's biggest tennis stars of all time.
In November 2001, Lleyton became the youngest man to reach world number 1 in the ATP singles rankings at the age of 20.
His tennis career continued beyond the court, leading the Australian Davis Cup team as Captain and working as a coach and commentator.
Lleyton and Bec Hewitt are parents to three children – Mia, Cruz and Ava.
It is Cruz, 16, who is following in his father's footsteps, right onto the tennis court where he is building his career as a professional player.
Cruz was predominantly a soccer player until his dad began working at Tennis Australia headquarters.
The family moved to the Gold Coast in 2021, Cruz picked up a tennis racquet and never looked back.
He trained at the KDV Tennis Academy and entered his first professional tournament at the age of 14, when he gained direct entry into the qualifying draw of an ITF M25 tournament in Darwin.
Cruz is pictured here training with his famous dad ahead of the Australian Open.
Cruz was one of four Aussies to receive a qualifying wildcard entry into the Australian Open this year alongside Bernard Tomic, Alex Bolt and Jason Kubler.
Cruz was last week beaten 6-1, 6-4 by former world number 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili – a hardened professional from Georgia who is twice his age.
Here, he poses with sister Ava and his parents Lleyton and Bec at Lleyton Hewitt's induction into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.
Swedish-born Bjorn Borg was one of the biggest tennis tars of the '70s and '80s. He was ATP Player of the Year from 1976 to 1980.
Borg was the year-end world number 1 in the ATP rankings in 1979 and 1980 and ITF World Champion from 1978 to 1980.
Borg won four consecutive French Open titles from 1978 until 1981 and was the first man since 1886 to contest six consecutive Wimbledon finals, a record surpassed by Roger Federer's seven consecutive finals from 2003 until 2009.
It makes sense that at least one of his two sons would follow in his footsteps.
Enter Leo Borg, who is a spitting image of his famous dad in his heyday.
The 21-year-old has proven himself from a young age with consistent results.
He has a career-high singles ranking of world number 334 in 2023. That was thanks to his first ATP tour win, when he received a wildcard entry at the Båstad Open. He won his first match at ATP Tour level by defeating fellow Swede Elias Ymer in the first round, in straight sets.
Leo also received a wildcard for the singles draw of the 2023 Stockholm Open in singles and doubles.
He was given a wildcard entry into the Swedish Open in Båstad in July where he played Rafael Nadal in the first round, losing 6–3, 6–4.
Leo is yet to claim a career title.
Tracy Austin was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2024.
She is an American former world number 1, winning three major titles, the women's singles titles at the 1979 and 1981 US Opens, and the mixed doubles title at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships.
She also won the WTA Tour Championships in 1980 and the Toyota Championships in 1981.
Austin remains the youngest US Open female singles champion, aged 16.
She is the youngest inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame at age 29, having won 30 singles titles during her career, on all playing surfaces.
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