Caroline Dolehide is all set to appear in one of the biggest showdowns of her career. Her run for the last grand slam event started with American veteran Danielle Collins. As the draws unveiled, the 25-year-old found herself matched against another American, but this time, the World No.2 Coco Gauff. During her course of 7 long years on tour, the WTA star crossed several milestones. While exploring the roots of her interest in the sport, it turns out that it wasn’t her parents who planted the seed in her mind.

Caroline Dolehide grew up in a sport-loving family. She has a total of three siblings, including an older sister Courtney, a younger sister Stephanie, and a brother Brian. Surprisingly, all of the Dolehides share a strong interest in sports. However, it was Courtney who nurtured Caroline’s love for tennis.

In a recent interview, the 25-year-old WTA star sat with her mother, Mary Catherine Dolehide, to discuss events that happened before she grew enough to remember. When asked who was behind introducing her to tennis, Caroline’s mother said, “I don’t think I introduced you to tennis. I think it was your older sister Courtney. She would be at a tournament, and I would bring you along. You were a little girl and sometimes came with your racquet and hit up against the wall…You enjoyed watching her play and then started playing.”

Courtney’s journey in tennis began in college at UCLA. She played there and later decided to explore the lane of mentoring other players. The 30-year-old served as a coach at UT Austin before becoming the head coach of women’s and men’s tennis at Georgetown in 2018. Courtney was also graced with ITA All-America honors in doubles during the 2012 season. Mary Catherine pushed all of her kids to include sports in their schedule. She believed it was good for them to stay focused and manage their time well.

“I thought it was good for you to be focused and always have something going on outside of school. Tennis allowed you to manage your time and it grew into this incredible thing for you,” she explained, answering her daughter’s question of why she did so. Caroline’s journey in tennis began with family support and therefore originated with her sister’s experience. However, Courtney’s role in her sister’s life isn’t just limited to holding the first racquet she saw.

Courtney’s consistent support for Caroline Dolehide

Caroline Dolehide has marked several instances where she not only made her family but the whole nation proud. While her sister decided to switch her road from being a player to an instructor, she seemed to be heavily proud of the path that the 25-year-old chose. Back when Vania King and partner Carole Dolehide continued their fairytale run into the US Open semifinals, upsetting then-No.14 seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko, 7-6(2), 6-4, Courtney couldn’t stop herself from reacting.

In a post shared by USTA’s official X handle, Courtney dropped a comment that said, “I’m so proud of my sister! Let’s go Caroline and go USA.” While this comment dates back to 2019, fans could only imagine the number of times she would have surprised her family members with similar moments of pride and honor.

Now that she is set to be a part of a valuable showdown in her career, it still remains to be seen if the love of her family is strong enough to combine with her motivation against Coco Gauff.