Tennis: where you know the parents as well as the players

IT’S a sport where endless drilling can overcome a lack of natural talent, so it’s not surprising tennis can bring out the worst in parents, and players, writes Jon Anderson.

John Tomic watches his son at the Australian Open. (Pic: Michael Klein) 'He needs professional help'

THERE is no sport like tennis to overindulge a child in the hope that you will be able to live your life with the fame and fortune that might otherwise be out of reach.

John Tomic, the head-butting father of Bernard, is the current poster boy for a never-ending production-line of tennis parents determined to live their lives through their children.

Often the John Tomics of this world seem to have immigrated in the hope of a better life, and tennis, or to a lesser extent swimming and golf, are the sporting vehicles that will provide the way out.

They are three sports where megalomaniacs pray, aware that constant early practice will give their kids some sort of shot, unlike Australian rules or soccer where any amount of training is unlikely to make the difference if you don’t have the natural talent.

Bernard Tomic and his father John on the Australian Open practice court. (Pic: Wayne Ludbey)

In tennis and golf you can go some way to the top by hitting ball after ball, normally as your father watches on with ever-ready advice for the coach of the time. I say “of the time” because they rarely last long.

Damir Dokic ended up breaking big rocks into little rocks in prison, Mary Pierce took out a restraining order on her father Jim and the late Stefano Capriati gave every indication of treating his daughter Jennifer like a meal ticket.

If it happens in Australian rules then it’s less obvious as clubs take over the everyday running of a player’s life. Even Dokic would find it hard to crack the AFL environment given his level of influence would be so reduced.

In tennis you see them front and square, often in matching tracksuits, as they pump fists and beat chests to signify their support for their beloved offspring.

If I asked you to identify some of these lunatics in a line-up it would be no problem, whereas you would have no clue as to the parents of Pat Rafter and Lindsay Davenport.

I highlight that because they both won Grand Slams and reached number one in the world, yet they did it with siblings who were treated as equally as important in whatever profession they, and not their parents, chose.

Jon Anderson is a Herald Sun sports writer.

Originally published as Tennis: where you know the parents as well as the players