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Lindsay Davenport had butterflies in her stomach while watching her son Jagger Leach playing in the first round of the Australian Open 2024 boys’ singles match against Daniil Sarksian.
The 16-year-old Leach did not let her mother down, beating Sarksian 7-6(4), 6-4 in an hour and 42 minutes on Court 15. Davenport, a former World No.1 and the 2000 Australian Open champion, was happy with the way her son reacted after being put under pressure in the opening set.
The 47-year-old American, who also won the Wimbledon in 1999 and the US Open in 1998, said that it’s necessary to help Leach see the 'big picture' going ahead in his career. Moreover, she said that her son does not get overly fussed by the pressure of his mother’s surname.
Apart from her mother, Leach also has support from his uncle Rick, who achieved his career-best ATP doubles ranking of No.1 back in 1990.
“There is obviously a little bit of pressure on him being my son but I think he handles it pretty well. He's also very close to his uncle who was a great player and we all try and help him see the big picture and support him as best we can,” Davenport said while commentating on the Tennis Channel (ATPTour.com).
"I was always traveling with my parents to these tournaments" - Jagger Leach on wanting to play tennis
Jagger Leach recently spoke about traveling with his parents to tennis tournaments, shedding light on the time they coached Madison Keys. The youngster was amazed by the ‘lifestyle’ of players and it motivated him to take up tennis as a profession.
“I remember very, very vividly, I was always traveling with my parents to these tournaments. They were coaching Madison Keys for a period of time and so I was here,” Leach told ATPTour.com.
“I saw what the pros did and just the lifestyle of going from city to city and playing tennis with all the fans and the atmosphere, and the whole lifestyle that they lived and what I saw. I was like, ‘Oh man, I want that to be my life. That would be pretty sweet’,” Leach added.
Against Sarksian, Leach pulled off two aces and 18 winners. He converted just one of his 10 break points, doing so in the second set, which turned out to be the deciding factor in the context of the match.
In the next round, Leach will be up against Australia’s Hayden Jones, who defeated Italy’s Daniele Rapagnetta 7-5, 6-4.
