Mother’s Day Special: The Mothers behind the Tennis Superstars

7) Irina Zverev

From family which runs on tennis, the brothers, Alexander Zverev Jr. and Mischa Zverev are making a mark on the tennis court. The family has always toured together. While Mischa started early, he had his ups and downs in his career. His mother shared the struggle and inspired her every step of the way. His younger brother who travelled with him and shared the knowledge and skills from their mother. Their mother taught them to be well grounded and humble in this very demanding sport. They are part of a close-knit family with strong family values.

“She basically taught me from a little age how to play this sport; what to do on the court, all the technique, and I want to say I have a pretty clean technique. That’s all her,” says Alexander Zverev Jr., three titles winner.

 8) Kathy Bryan

The greatest doubles team the world has ever seen, the twins were first coached by their mother, who is a four-time participant at Wimbledon. Ostensibly they might appear carefree on court, they are the most disciplined players on tour, a quality ingrained by their mother. Bob Bryan said “We’ve got a great mom… We were always bickering, yelling and throwing our racquets. We were always fighting with each other. She put up with us and gave us good strokes!” While Mike Bryan said “She taught us a good lesson to be good sportsmen on the court, be better people.”

The Bryans’ success on the court is staggering. They’ve been ranked the world’s number one doubles team for longer than any other in history. They also 112 men’s doubles titles, including 16 Grand Slam Men’s Doubles together and an Olympic Gold in London.

About the author

Soumya Saini