‘Star Kids’ making it big in their lives is automatically always attributed to nepotism. However, in sports, the story might be different. It is only their skill and perseverance that will take them far and long to succeed. That has been the story for these 5 children of famous tennis players who are strutting in their parents’ big shoes and yet making a name for themselves on their own. From two-time Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt’s son to Petr Korda’s son Sebastian Korda, here are 5 ‘Star Kids’ in Tennis to watch out for in 2024:
1. 14-year-old Cruz Hewitt is one of the 5 ‘Star Kids’ to watch out for in 2024
Cruz Hewitt, the son of Lleyton Hewitt and Bec Cartwright, has turned out to be quite the tennis prodigy. The 14-year-old won his second ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors title last year at the J60 Darwin Championships. It was the third of his career.
He was also present at the Australian Open 2024 Boys Singles Championships with his parents in attendance. Although it ended in a straight sets defeat of 6-2, 6-3 against Alexander Razhegi of the United States, he showed some promising signs.
It was Cruz’s dad Lleyton Hewitt’s dream to see his son play tennis and play in the main draw of the Australian Open someday. While that hasn’t happened yet, Cruz is being trained well by his coach Matt Reid. He is also close to Australian rising star Alex de Minaur, whose journey at the Australian Open 2024 ended against Andrey Rublev.
2. Jagger Leach follows his legendary mother’s footsteps
Lindsay Davenport reached the finals of the Indian Wells competition six times in her career, winning it twice. This came back into consciousness last year when her 15-year-old son Jagger Leach played in the same place at the FILA International Junior Championships. Unfortunately for Leach, he lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to Stiles Brockett. However, Jagger has consistently shown signs of brilliance so far in his career. He won the ITF Junior Singles titles thrice already, which is the joint-most by anyone.
Leach is one of four children of Lindsay Davenport and Jon Leach. Jagger made his debut in the Juniors Tournament at the Australian Open 2024. His three other sisters are yet to decide on their careers.
3. Brandon Holt has made a strong impression
Brandon Holt is the son of Tracy Austin, a former WTA World No. 1 and a 2-time US Open champion. Needless to say, Brandon had a lot of weight on his shoulders when he picked up a tennis racket for his career. He has, however, done well, reaching the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon and the French Open last year. Famously, Holt knocked out Taylor Fritz in the first round of the US Open in the men’s singles competition in 2022.
Holt has a 10-7 win-loss record in ATP and ITF tournaments. With a career-high ranking of 180, Holt made his Masters 1000 debut at Indian Wells last year. He lost to Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets. However, the 25-year-old still has a long way to go and will look to make a mark at the Grand Slam this year.
4. Sebastian Korda, son of Petr Korda, looks to carry on a strong legacy
Legends like John McEnroe had high hopes from Sebastian Korda at the Australian Open 2024 and he did not really disappoint as such. At just 23 years of age, Sebastian, Petr Korda’s son, won his first round and second round matches at the Grand Slam. He beat Vit Kopriva 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2 and Quentin Halys of France in straight sets of 6-4 each. Unfortunately, he lost to 5th seed Andrey Rublev of Russia in the third round 2-6, 6-7 (6-8), 4-6.
Sebastian Korda’s ranking matches his age of 23 and he has previously won the Emilia-Romagna Open. He also won the Australian Open juniors title in 2018, 20 years after his father won the Majors there in the senior men’s singles category in 1998. It was a fitting tribute to him.
His father Petr Korda was a former World No. 2 Czech-American tennis player and his mother Regina Rajchrtova too was a tennis player who reached the top 30 of the rankings in the women’s singles category in her time.
5. Elizabeth Mandlik has multiple title wins to her name
At just 22 years of age, Elizabeth Mandlik has won 7 singles titles and 3 doubles titles at the ITF Women’s Circuit. She has also participated in all four Grand Slams, making it to the second round of the US Open 2022, the farthest she went so far. That she turned out to be a natural in tennis has perhaps a lot to do with her mother being a legend in this sport.
Her mom is Hana Mandlikova, a four-time Grand Slam winner from Czechoslovakia who is now a naturalised Australian citizen. Mandlik has only played against Top 10 players twice in her career and lost both times. She played against Ons Jabeur at the US Open in 2022 and against Paula Badosa in the Silicon Valley Classic.
While these are the 5 ‘Star Kids’ to Watch out for in 2024, others like Leo Borg, son of Bjorn Borg, are also trying to extend their parents’ legacy. But it is never easy in this highly competitive world of tennis despite the financial and skills support from legendary sporting parents.
