Sibling revelry: This brother-sister duo is the future of Australian tennis

Any conversation about the future of women’s tennis in Australia inevitably turns to – and often starts with – Emerson Jones, one half of the country’s dynamic sibling duo.

Jones, who turns 16 in July, is already ranked one of the top 10 junior girls on the planet, and her Osaka Mayor’s Cup triumph in October crowned her as the youngest winner of an even of that calibre since Ash Barty won Junior Wimbledon 12 years earlier.

Gold Coast teenager Emerson Jones in action against Daria Egorova in the first round of the junior girls’ singles at the Australian Open.Credit: Eddie JIm

For good measure, the Gold Coast teenager took out last week’s Australian Open junior warm-up tournament at Traralgon, too, joining past champions, including Roger Federer, Barty, Nick Kyrgios and Iga Swiatek.

But she is far from the only athlete in her family, with 17-year-old brother Hayden – who trains in the National Academy with her – ranked No.23 in the ITF boys’ rankings and an Australian Junior Davis Cup representative.

The Jones siblings are both seeded in this week’s Junior Australian Open, where Hayden has made no secret of his desire to win the boys’ title. He breezed into the third round on Monday for the loss of only four games, while Emerson won her first-round match in straight sets on Sunday.

Their mother is Loretta Harrop, an Olympic silver medallist in triathlon at the 2004 Athens Games and a world champion in 1999, while their father, Brad Jones, won the QAFL’s highest individual honour, the Grogan Medal.

Loretta Harrop (left) after winning silver in triathlon at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Credit: AP

“It’s actually really cool because we get to travel a bit together and play similar tournaments, and mum or dad will always come with us to look after Emerson as well – and myself a bit, too,” Hayden told this masthead. “It can get kind of lonely when you travel a lot, so it’s good to have family around.”

Harrop’s influence on her children’s tennis journey is unrelated to forehands and backhands but rather the mental fortitude required to succeed at the elite level in any sport.

It is this part of the game that Emerson believes she has improved in more than any other in the past 12 months since making her debut and reaching the second round in last year’s Australian Open girls’ singles.

Australia is desperate to find another champion in the post-Barty era, at a time no women’s player from this country is ranked inside the top 100, but Emerson has so far dealt admirably with pressure and expectation.

“Mum always tells me to stay strong because she came from a very mentally tough sport,” Emerson said.

“She doesn’t know that much about tennis, so she doesn’t really tell me how to play, but she helps with the mental side of things ... I don’t really think about the pressure and ‘Oh, I should win this or that’. I just love playing and competing.”

David Taylor, who previously coached Australian greats Sam Stosur and Alicia Molik, as well as the likes of Martina Hingis, Ana Ivanovic, Naomi Osaka and Jelena Ostapenko, is now guiding Emerson Jones’ career.

That has helped create hitting opportunities with 2011 US Open champion Stosur, Australia’s newly appointed Billie Jean King Cup captain.

Emerson Jones enjoys her hit-out at the Open.Credit: Eddie Jim

Emerson has not had as much to do with Barty, but the triple grand slam champion and former world No.1 is “a massive role model” to her. Like Barty, she is not blessed with great height, but that has not been an impediment.

“I couldn’t believe how big a ball Emerson hits for her size, and she’s still developing, so I think the fact that at that age, you’ve got some real strength and assets already [is exciting],” Stosur said.

“Now, it’s about trying to get that experience and playing against the best players in the world.”

Hayden, coached by the renowned Des Tyson, has served as an “orange boy” for Australia’s Davis Cup team under Lleyton Hewitt, and like his younger sister, scored a wildcard into Australian Open qualifying this year.

He won a set in his men’s qualifying debut, and his clean ball-striking has been on display in the boys’ tournament at Melbourne Park, evidenced by him hitting 18 winners in each of his first two matches.

Speaking on Channel Nine, Hewitt described Hayden as “one of the best junior Australians we have”.

Hayden made a strong start to his 2024 campaign at Traralgon, too, reaching the quarter-finals thanks to beating the country’s former top-ranked junior player, Charlie Camus, who is now representing France.

“It was really cool just to get around the pros and see what the camaraderie of the Davis Cup team is like,” he said. “What I noticed was a lot of players who play it, when they get around that environment, they tend to excel afterwards.

“Max Purcell, when I was there, was a doubles player, you could call him, and within eight months, he was top 40 in the world in singles.”

Hayden Jones believes he can win the Australian Open boys’ singles title.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The talented brother-sister combination are both fiercely competitive, but they differ in some ways, too.

Emerson rarely puts pressure on herself to win titles or big matches, whereas Hayden has worked hard on thinking longer term with his development rather than being obsessed with winning all the time.

The big question, which will not be answered for many years, is just who will end up the most decorated athlete in the family.

“I think Mum will always have that,” Hayden said. “I mean, hopefully, maybe me or Emerson, but I think at this point, it has to be Mum.”

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