Southern California is no stranger to sibling greatness in tennis. Two of the greatest and most famous siblings in tennis history come from right here in Southern California in all-time greats Compton’s Venus and Serena Williams and Camarillo’s Mike and Bob Bryan, setting the gold standard for what it means to grow, train, and succeed side by side. It’s staggering to even begin to think of how many hours the Williams sisters and the Bryan brothers spent together on the courts during their formative years learning the game, pushing each other, and ultimately transforming the sport. 

In celebration of National Siblings Day on April 10 – a day to recognize and honor the relationships of brothers and sisters of all ages – we caught up with some Southern California’s current players who have experienced that intense, unbreakable bond of having a sibling to share the court with. They all agreed it’s nice to have someone willing to hit with and to talk strategy over. It’s nice to have a buddy down the hall who will listen and understand after suffering a tough loss, and to have someone close to celebrate after a big win.  

They all echo a common theme: it’s a gift to have someone by your side through the wins, the losses, and everything in between. Whether it’s strategy sessions in the kitchen, warmups in the driveway, or post-match pep talks down the hall, tennis siblings create a world of shared passion and purpose.

Siblings such as San Diego’s Mika and Darren Wei and Carley and Jasper Chen, Ladera Ranch’s Ryan and Aubrey Meis, Lexi and Kiki Wolf from Pacific Palisades, and Irvine twins Kenzie and Kylie and brother Brady Nguyen are just a small sampling of tennis-playing siblings from SoCal. These are just a few of the countless SoCal families who’ve turned their backyards into battlegrounds and their garages into locker rooms. 

Tennis siblings are supportive and that was never more evident than at the recent Easter Bowl as brothers Caden and Nathan Lee made the daily drive to Indian Wells to see their middle brother Tyler make a run at a USTA National Gold ball in doubles and a Silver Ball in singles at the prestigious event. It was a family affair in every sense – and proof that success tastes sweeter when shared.

And yes, siblings often make the best doubles partners. Just last year Caden and Tyler joined forces  to win the prestigious Ojai Tournament Boys’ CIF doubles title for Beckman High in Irvine. 

“It’s like having a built-in training partner always with you,” said Milo Marr, 13, of Point Loma, whose twin brother Hudson agreed, saying, “When you go to a tournament, you always have someone to warm up with.”

The twins admitted it’s not always sunshine and smashes – there are competitive moments and emotional lows that can be stressful when one brother is not playing as well as the other. “Of course, it gets competitive when we play each other,” Milo said. “But we get it all out on the practice court. We have to work together when we play doubles. Plus, it makes it more fun.” 

Growing up in Rancho Bernardo, 23-year-old twins Mike and Jayson Blando had the perfect idols and role models in the Bryans. Following their stellar junior careers they headed off to play together at UC-Riverside before Covid-19 hit, which led to a transfer to the University of Utah. The Utes coach made the difficult decision to break up the pairing their junior year, but a year later they were matched up again. 

“We used to fight and bicker on court with each other a lot and it would spill over into our singles, but we’ve been getting better at it,” said Jayson, adding that they both saw a sports psychologist while at Utah to discuss their behavior on court. “It’s a lot easier to get upset or mad at your brother than it is your friend.”  

As wild cards, the Blando twins made a recent run to the finals at the Calabasas M25 Futures tournament, and they hope it’s a sign of better results to come as they plan on playing the SoCal Pro Series events this summer.

“It just makes things more special having someone to share the win with,” said Mike.

You can feel that same sibling chemistry in Kelsey and Skyler Yates,13-year-old twins from the Mid-City area who last fall won their local junior high school league title as eighth-graders at Marlborough School. Kelsey credits their unique bond as the key to their doubles success: “I think with a twin as a doubles partner there is just a different connection. We don’t have to communicate verbally because we can do it mentally.”

Sklyer added, “It’s hard not to bring in that personal banter. Sometimes on a changeover we talk and we say something funny and just start laughing. It lightens the mood and takes some of the pressure off.” 

The magic of twin synchronicity continues with Mateo and Marcel Prodanov Suitor, who – just like the Bryan brothers – are the perfect righty-lefty combination, creating that mirror-image doubles team, despite being fraternal twins. The 13-year-olds from San Diego are coached by Conan Lorenzo at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. 

“We play together every day,” Marcel said. “Sometimes there is miscommunication, and we say ‘yours’ and ‘mine’ in unison and that throws us off.”

Mateo added: “One of us could be up, and another one down but we are always there for each other and encouraging one another. Our goals are to be college partners and then turn pro.”

Marcel and Mateo said they could never imagine playing at different colleges, and going on to play at a four-year school is the goal for so many siblings who push themselves on court each day. It remains to be seen if the youngest Hance sibling from Torrance – one of America’s top juniors Keaton Hance – will follow in the footsteps of Kenadi (Washington), Connor (UCLA), and Kimmi (UCLA) and play college tennis, or possibly turn pro. 

That’s the same decision facing another Torrance resident as 17-year-old Iva Jovic is still undecided on joining her older sister Mia at UCLA, or to turn pro as she is currently sitting at a career-high No. 142 WTA singles ranking and has already won three pro titles.  

One Northern California family with SoCal ties remarkably had four siblings all play college tennis as Carolyn Campana was an ITA All-American in singles at Wake Forest in 2021 and also played for Vanderbilt before finishing at Pepperdine. Brothers Matthew and Peter played at St. Mary’s and Boston College, respectively, and Anna Campana followed her older sister to Wake Forest then to Malibu where she also played for the Waves. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a true sibling story without a little healthy rivalry. As practice partners, Isidora and Aleksandar Jelicic of Thousand Oaks know that dynamic well. When 13-year-old Aleksander was finally able to beat his 15-year-old sister for the first time, the eighth-grader said a feeling of excitement came over him. 

“It was really great, and it was the first time she got angry,” Aleksander said, noting he knew how she felt after being on the losing end for so many years. “But our goal has always been to want to help each other and bring out the best in one another.”

Father Miki Jelicic agrees and compares the pair to another set of siblings who dominated the Southland basketball landscape some 40 years ago.

“They’re kind of like Reggie Miller and Sheryl Miller,” Miki said of the famous basketball duo, who would describe intense playground games growing up and even took their rivalry a bit farther in their college choice with Sheryl starring at USC and Reggie for UCLA. “They both need each other. What Aleks has, Isidora needs and what Isidora has, Aleks needs. With what each of them have, it makes the perfect player. So, they play off of that. They go at it.”

Miki said that once the 6-foot Aleksander grew taller than his sister and edged ahead physically, it was only a matter of time before he started winning. “At the same time he was thinking, ‘How can I lose to a girl?’ She was also thinking, ‘How can I lose to my baby brother?’ So, it was a natural sibling rivalry.

“I love watching that and I told them both it’s in your best interest to beat each other because you can learn from that, and you want to help your sibling get better,” stated Miki. “The important thing is they are having a great time playing against each other.”

The Jelicic siblings are indeed enjoying the journey so far and doing it all right in front of the eager eyes of little 6-year-old sister Irina, who recently took up the game and will no doubt follow in their footsteps. 

For Julieta Pareja, it all started in a stroller. She too was once just like Irina – watching intently at everything her older sisters Raquel and Antonia Pareja were doing on the court. Raquel and Antonia, who went on to play college tennis, started out in tennis at the ages of 7 and 5 on the public parks in San Diego when little Julieta was still being rolled around by mother Adriana in a stroller. 

Just last weekend at the Bogota Open, the 16-year-old Julieta from Carlsbad reached the semifinals in her first WTA tour-level event becoming the youngest player to go that far since a 15-year-old Coco Gauff in 2019. 

There is little doubt the early immersion to tennis Julieta experienced watching her sisters is a big part of her success. “I think it’s a combination of things, but I do think that had an impact on her,” said Raquel, a 23-year-old former college tennis player now working in computer software sales and living in Carlsbad. “She was always practicing with us, but I think it has more to do with just who she is as a person.”

Raquel said she recalls the first time Julieta aced her, and it wasn’t too long after that she was getting beaten by her seven-year younger sister. “I remember her dragging that big racquet around and how she just loved being on the court,” Raquel said. “I just can’t recall a time when she didn’t want to practice and get better. Her love for the sport is something I really admire.

“I always knew she had something special and as the years have gone by it has really been amazing to see and that she’s shown so much potential.”

It’s that kind of passion – the type only siblings can nurture – that defines so many of Southern California’s tennis families. Whether they’re helping each other through slumps, celebrating wins, or chasing big dreams, these sibling duos show us that tennis isn’t just a sport – it’s a lifelong bond.