5 most influential tennis parents in history ft. Serena Williams' father Richard, Steffi Graf's father Peter

Venus and Serena Williams formed formidable partnerships with their father, Richard Williams, and rewrote tennis history books. However, the Williams family wasn't the only family to make its mark in tennis.

The world's biggest tennis stars often credit their parents with nurturing their interest in the sport from a young age. Many mothers and fathers have even continued to play a massive role in their children's tennis journeys, often serving as their head coaches well into their professional careers.

Serena Williams and Richard Williams wasn't tennis' only powerful father-daughter duo. There are several high-profile tennis parents in the sport's history, and here's a list of five of them.

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#5 Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan

Srdjan Djokovic (Source: Getty)

Srdjan Djokovic has been an integral part of Novak Djokvoic's tennis career. In a 2016 interview, Srdjan recalled recognizing Novak's talent in his younger days and working hard to make him a tennis legend. Despite their poor background, Srdjan invested his hard-earned money in Novak's growth and took him to academies in Italy, Germany, and the US.

Srdjan has always been outspoken, a trait also seen in Novak, and at times finds himself in controversy. But even when his father was facing the wrath of the media, Novak stood by him and even defended him, as he did during the Australian Open 2023.

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#4 Coco Gauff's parents Corey & Candi

Corey, Coco, and Candi Gauff (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff became the highest-profile American in the tennis world at a very young age. Her parents, Corey and Candi, have been by Coco's side throughout her young career, with either of them always present in the player's box. The Gauff parents were athletes in their younger days. Corey played basketball, while Candi was a track and field athlete.

They knew Coco had something special and was destined to become a tennis great. So when she was in second grade, they quit their jobs and moved from Atlanta to Delray Beach, Florida. As Coco progressed in her career, Corey gave up his healthcare executive job to become her full-time head coach

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#3 Jaime & Andy Murray's mother Judy

Jaime and Judy Murray (Source: Getty)

Very few tennis parents have shaped their children's tennis careers like Judy Murray did for her sons Jaime and Andy. Judy played tennis herself in the 1970s and won 64 titles in Scotland during her junior and senior careers before turning her attention to coaching her two sons.

Judy flew to Barcelona to enroll Andy in a tennis camp. After splitting from her husband, Willie, Judy continued to do everything she could to support Jaime and Andy. Besides coaching her sons, Judy also lent her expertise to nurture many young players while working for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the British tennis governing body.

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#2 Steffi Graf's father Peter

Steffi and Peter Graf at US Open 1989 (Source: Getty)

Steffi Graf's illustrious tennis career was greatly influenced by her father, Peter, who, for the longest time, served as her coach and manager. Peter started teaching Steffi about tennis when she was just three years old and even controlled her finances for many years. However, the elder Graf often found himself in trouble and controversy.

In 1995, Peter was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion, leading to embarrassment for the German tennis legend. The incident led to a falling out between the father and daughter. They reconciled years later, and Graf was by Peter's side when he passed away from pancreatic cancer in December 2013.

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#1 Venus & Serena Williams' father Richard

Venus, Richard, and Serena Williams pose in 1991 in Compton (Source: Getty)

The Williams is arguably the most influential tennis family. The patriarch, Richard Williams, decided that his young daughters, Venus and Serena Williams, would be tennis players after watching Virginia Ruzici play and took them to public courts for practice in Compton, California.

In 1990, Richard moved the family to West Palm Beach, Florida, and continued to coach Serena Williams alongside Rick Macci. In 1995, Richard pulled the sisters out of Macci's academy and became their sole coach. The decision paid off, as Richard watched Venus and Serena Williams win seven and 23 Grand Slam singles titles, respectively, and 14 doubles Grand Slams as a team.

The journey of Richard, Venus, and Serena Williams was the focus of the 2021 biographical film 'King Richard,' starring Will Smith as Richard.