Twin-sanity! Petra Kvitova's little girls are a special blessing for tennis pros
You know the Bryan brothers, and the Pliskova twins ... but how many tennis pros have actually become the parents of twins?
Last week, Petra Kvitova became a mom of three, with the two-time Wimbledon champion announcing that she and husband Jiri Vanek welcomed twin daughters, Emma and Ella, on March 30.
The girls' birth announcement netted more than 100,000 likes on the affable Czech's Instagram. Peers including Barbora Krejcikova, Garbiñe Muguruza and Sloane Stephens offered their congratulations to the couple, who were already parents to nearly 2-year-old Petr, born during the 2024 Wimbledon fortnight.
Read more: With US Open farewell, Petra Kvitova leaves lasting legacy
The twin birth also marked something unique in a categorical baby boom that's currently gripping professional tennis. Kvitova's one-time rivals Muguruza, Ashleigh Barty, Angelique Kerber and Daria Saville have all also given birth within the last year, while Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia will soon join them as first-time moms.
But Kvitova's multiples had us asking: tennis fans know the Bryan brothers and the Pliskova twins, and those of a certain fervor may even recognize the Gullicksons or the Kichenoks. They might even tell you that Frances Tiafoe's twin brother, Franklin, has become a notable coach in his own right. But how many top tennis pros have actually become the parents of two babies at once?
As it turns out, not that many.
Most notably, of course, is 20-time Grand Slam singles champion Roger Federer and his wife, Mirka, who have two sets of doubles pairs in their household. Daughters Myla Rose and Charlene Riva were born in 2009, and sons Lenny and Leo followed in 2014.
Federer famously won his eighth and final Wimbledon singles title with all four of his children present back in 2017.
"I looked up in the stands and saw my kids … then it started to sink in that I was a Wimbledon champion for real," he said then, per People magazine.
"I saw the boys for the first time, and [seeing] them coming out to Centre Court and knowing how much Centre Court means to me, and seeing them like not knowing what's going on. And then the girls were there too, and my wife was emotional. It just really hit me."
Kvitova's compatriot Hana Mandlikova, and her one-time fellow Top 10 player Carla Suarez Navarro, are also mothers to twins, as are International Tennis Hall of Famers Gigi Fernandez and Pam Shriver.
Mandlikova welcomed Elizabeth and Mark in 2001. Both are tennis players, with Elizabeth Mandlik currently competing on the WTA tour and reaching a career-high ranking of No. 97 in 2023, while Mark Mandlik had a standout college career at the University of Oklahoma.
Shriver welcomed a son and a daughter in 2005, and Fernandez followed in 2009. A decade-and-a-half later, Suárez Navarro and her partner, soccer star Olga García, welcomed twin daughters, Noa and Ona, in June 2023, after the former world No. 6 beat Hodgkin lymphoma.
Former world No. 2 Kvitova, who may be primed to join Fernandez, Mandlikova and Shriver in the Hall of Fame at some point down the road, is no doubt overjoyed to be part of this exclusive club. She claimed 31 career titles and 634 match victories during her career, which ended officially after last year's US Open. The left-hander won one of nine matches she played in 2025 in her brief comeback following Petr's birth, and intimated her hopes of expanding her family by saying she was "totally ready" to hang up her racquets.
"Mentally, I think I can’t do it any more, as well as emotionally and physically. ... You still remember how you played before, how everything was smooth and I was hitting winners and suddenly it’s not there," she said.
“I’m not regretting anything. I still love tennis but everything else, waiting for the practices, waiting for the car, waiting for a match, it’s just tiring. And having a son, it’s a totally different life. I just want to spend more time with him as well."