• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Sports Tennis

What’s it like to defeat your former pro parent on the tennis court? todayheadline

July 1, 2025
in Tennis
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
3
SHARES
6
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


WHEN BEN SHELTON was a young player making big strides under the guidance of his father, former professional Bryan Shelton, he wanted nothing more than to test himself against his dad.

His father, though, was not so keen.

“My dad never let me play against him,” Shelton told ESPN. Expanding in an on-court interview at the Australian Open earlier this year, he added: “He would never let me play him, I don’t think he ever will let me play him. He probably still thinks he can beat me.”

In a sport where an increasing number of players are children of former players, beating a parent is something of a rite of passage. But not everyone gets the chance — and some don’t even want to beat their mom or dad.

Ben Shelton and his dad Bryan, who was ranked as high as No. 55 in 1992. Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire

Denmark’s Casper Ruud is the son of Christian Ruud, a former top-40 player and the inspiration for Casper, who has reached three major finals and been ranked as high as No 2. Ultracompetitive, the Ruuds dispute how old Casper was when the torch passed between the two.

“I tend to say I was 15, and he would say, no, you were like 17, so we can’t agree on it,” Ruud told ESPN. “I would even say I was 14, but that was not regularly, like it was at 15, 16. I beat him once at 14.”

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

In fact, when they did play a few matches with Ruud at 14, his dad added some money into the bargain.

“The bet was kind of like, if my dad beat me, 6-0 and 6-1, I would owe him $20. If it was 6-2, it was neutral and every game over 6-2 was like $10 per game for me. So if it was 6-3, it was 10 bucks and 6-4 was 20 bucks for me. And then somehow, one weekend, I was able to beat him 6-3, it was a bit out of nowhere and he didn’t play well, so that’s what I remember. He did beat me again, but from 15, 16, was when I started to really win.

There was no guilt when he did start to win. “His curve was going this way (down) and mine was going this way (up). So at some point we would cross paths and physically, he’s not where he was as a player. So that was just a question of time, I guess.”

2025 Wimbledon Men’s Odds

Maria Sakkari is one of the few women players to have a professional tennis-playing parent. The daughter of former top 40 player Angeliki Kanellopoulou, Sakkari recalls playing games and tiebreaks against her mom when she was very young.

“I remember a few summers that we would train together,” Sakkari told ESPN at Wimbledon. “She was still playing at the time. Then at some point she broke her knee, so she stopped playing. It was a pretty bad injury.”

For Sakkari, the fact that her mother could appreciate what she goes through was more important than trying to beat her.

“I think she really enjoys the fact that I became better than her and that we had the chance to train a little bit together in the past,” Sakkari said. “But it’s also very important that she keeps her role more of a mother. She gives me advice, but that’s it, and which is great, because then we have a great balance as a family.”

Tessa Shapovalova, the mother of Denis Shapovalov, was a pro player, but Shapovalov says they’ve never played a match against each other. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Canadian Denis Shapovalov was coached by his mother, Tessa Shapovalova, for many years. Shapovalova played on the Soviet Union national team before becoming a coach and Shapovalov said they never really played matches against each other.

“We did some point situations and stuff like that, especially when I was much younger,” Shapovalov told ESPN at Wimbledon. “There’s a couple of YouTube videos where I’m a little kid and I was playing against her. She was kind of tapping the ball to me. It was fun to play against her but we never played sets and stuff like that. But for sure, I always felt like she could beat me.”

2025 Women’s Wimbledon Odds

Seb Korda, the son of former Australian Open champion Petr Korda and Regina Rajchrtova, a former top 30 player herself, is still waiting for a first win.

“I have never beaten either of them,” the American said. “That’s the problem. Last time I played my dad I think I was 13 years old and he either bageled me or double-bageled me, and we never played again. I’m sure if we played now, I would hope to win. But I just don’t want to play him. He’s forever my idol, and it would be weird to play him in a match and beat him.”

Jack Draper’s father, Roger Draper, never made it as a pro but was a decent player and later became CEO of the Lawn Tennis Association, the governing body of tennis in Britain. “It probably wasn’t until I was about 12, 13 where I could beat my dad,” world No. 4 Draper said. “For my brother it was a little bit later.”

Regardless of trying to beat his father, Draper said the benefits of being in a sporting environment were more important.

“Especially having an older brother as well who has always beaten you,” he said. “Whether it’s ping pong or tennis or anything, it really sort of builds that competitor in you until you beat them. For instance, my brother, I think I played him once, and he beat me. He’s going to always have that over me.”

Taylor Fritz’s mother, Kathy May, reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals during her career. Julian Finney/Getty Images

Taylor Fritz’s mother, Kathy May, was ranked inside the world’s top 10 at one stage. For a young Fritz, beating his mum was a big deal, but not as big as when he passed her in the rankings.

“I think I could start beating my mom around the age of like 14,” Fritz said. “I could beat my dad before that because he’s pretty old. I think it was [more of] a big deal to beat her career-high ranking and say that I’m the best player in the family.”

Previous Post

North Carolina extends AD Cunningham, hires Newmark as successor todayheadline

Next Post

Legendary coach, superfan scout: How Guatemala returned to the Gold Cup semis after 29-year absence

Related Posts

Wimbledon 2025: Emma Raducanu falls to Aryna Sabalenka in spirited display todayheadline

July 4, 2025
2

Who has won the most Grand Slams in tennis history? todayheadline

July 4, 2025
5
Next Post
Legendary coach, superfan scout: How Guatemala returned to the Gold Cup semis after 29-year absence

Legendary coach, superfan scout: How Guatemala returned to the Gold Cup semis after 29-year absence

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg

Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg

July 5, 2025
2 Toddlers Found Unsupervised After Daycare Incident

2 Toddlers Found Unsupervised After Daycare Incident

July 5, 2025
Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala making waves and history in Vancouver

Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala making waves and history in Vancouver

July 5, 2025
Netanyahu requests plan to evacuate Palestinians to south of Gaza before he returns from DC

Netanyahu requests plan to evacuate Palestinians to south of Gaza before he returns from DC

July 5, 2025

Recent News

Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg

Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg

July 5, 2025
0
2 Toddlers Found Unsupervised After Daycare Incident

2 Toddlers Found Unsupervised After Daycare Incident

July 5, 2025
1
Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala making waves and history in Vancouver

Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala making waves and history in Vancouver

July 5, 2025
1
Netanyahu requests plan to evacuate Palestinians to south of Gaza before he returns from DC

Netanyahu requests plan to evacuate Palestinians to south of Gaza before he returns from DC

July 5, 2025
1

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg

Russian air defences down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg

July 5, 2025
2 Toddlers Found Unsupervised After Daycare Incident

2 Toddlers Found Unsupervised After Daycare Incident

July 5, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co