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.