JAGGER LEACH, son of tennis legend Lindsay Davenport, is paving his own way in tennis despite a horrific quad bike crash three and a half years ago.
Leach, 16, has booked his spot in the second round of the boys’ singles at the Australian Open with a 7-6 (4) 6-4 win over Daniil Sarksian.
Jagger Leach is through to the second round of the boys’ singles at the Australian OpenGetty
Leach is the son of Lindsay Davenport who won the Australian Open women’s singles title in 2000EPA
But there is more pressure than normal on the American – who is No54 in the ITF Junior Rankings.
That is because his mum Davenport, 47, is a former world No1 and three-time Grand Slam champion.
Meanwhile, Leach’s dad, Jon Leach, was a college All-American, while his uncle, Rick Leach, was world No1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.
Speaking about her son, Davenport said: “There is obviously a little bit of pressure on him being my son but I think he handles it pretty well.”
Yet despite the spotlight, Leach has already overcome huge adversity in the early stages of his career.
In August 2020, he was seriously injured in a quad bike crash and was airlifted to hospital.
He underwent a five-hour emergency surgery and was kept in hospital for 10 days, before he was released and could not bear any weight on his legs for five months.
The following year, he then had another surgery on his legs due to growth plate issues as doctors removed a plate and screws.
This saw him sidelined from tennis for a further three months.
Now Leach is competing at the Australian Open, a feat that has left Davenport incredibly proud.
She added: “Long road! Super rewarding to see him at this level, so yes, Jon and I are super emotional! There were times he never thought he’d be able to play.”
Davenport lost in the girls’ singles final at the Australian Open back in 1992, before she went on to win the senior title eight years later.
But while Davenport has challenged her son to go one step further than she managed as a junior, Leach is merely taking in the experience of being at a Grand Slam.
Speaking to ATPTour.com, he said: “The Grand Slams are the nicest tournaments. Having ball kids and automated line calling, it makes it so much easier to just go and play.
“And then not to mention, seeing my mom’s name and face on the champions list.
“I’m just like, ‘Oh, man, this is crazy. It’s so cool.’”
He also went on to reveal his parents have been staying up to watch his matches in Melbourne.
Leach added: “They’ve been staying up late to call me and they stayed up to watch the match today. They both do so much to help me be successful.
“They’ve given me every chance possible to be good at the sport and give me the best chance to succeed.
“So it means so much to me, but it means a lot to them too, which is what makes the whole the whole journey possible for me.
“I don’t think they could sleep if they wanted to!”