It’s been a bad week for dads who coach tennis players. First, Caroline Garcia announced that she is firing her dad. A few days later, Sofia Kenin announced that she is splitting from her dad.

Dads have coached many top tennis players. But as players rise up in the ranking and start having success, they tend to look for professional coaches to take their game to the next level. Some fathers have stepped down themselves, seeing a need for someone else to step in.

I tried to explain to him as best I could. My father remains my father. There is always a lot of love. We lived such moments together. My parents made a lot of sacrifices. I can’t thank them enough. I’m sure there will be more great tennis moments in the future.

-Caroline Garcia

 Gabriel Urpi, who coached Flavia Pennetta and Arantxa Sanchez will take over as Garcia’s coach.

I wanted to let everyone know that after many years together I have decided to part ways with my father as my coach. This was not an easy decision for me as we shared many great moments together and had a lot of success. I will be forever grateful for my dad’s sacrifice and contributions towards getting me to where I am today. I am excited for what the future holds and look forward to putting together a new technical team in the coming weeks ahead. I can’t wait to get back on the court next week in Rome.

– Sofia Kenin

Kenin has not announced her coach yet. Kenin recently split with her management company Top Five and signed up with GSE Worldwide.

SIGNA Sports United (SSU), Berlin-based sports commerce and tech platform has entered into an agreement to buy Tennis Express, a leading online tennis retailer in the US. In April 2021, SSU acquired Midwest Sports. 

Recent acquisitions make SSU’s online platform, Tennis-Point.com the go-to place for people looking to buy tennis equipment and accessories in the US. 

The ATP and Tennis-Point recently signed a multi-year agreement that will make Tennis-Point the Official Racket Sports Products Retailer of the ATP Tour until 2025.

We see significant opportunity to replicate our successful European tennis platform strategy in the U.S. market, which is benefitting from a surge in participation yet remains fragmented and under-served from an e-commerce and community engagement perspective. Adding strong players like Tennis Express accelerates our U.S. expansion and opportunity to create value for SSU and the broader U.S. tennis ecosystem.

-Stephan Zoll, CEO of SIGNA Sports United.

Tennis Express was founded by Brad Blume and his partner. The company started with a single physical store and has grown into an online retailer with 90% of its revenue coming from digital channels. The company owns a 15,000 sq. ft. superstore and warehouse in Houston. The facility includes a full-size indoor tennis court and attracts a lot of tennis enthusiasts.