Hailey Baptiste’s parents, Quasim Baptiste and Shari Dishman, have different approaches to watching their daughter play. The DC natives, Shari and Quasim, have supported their daughter since a young age.
Unlike other tennis players, Hailey doesn’t come from a family with strong financial backing. Her parents are moderate earners and have found it difficult to manage her expenses as a tennis player.
In an interview, Baptiste’s mother said she had sacrificed her dream of working in the fashion industry for the sake of her daughter. Hailey’s dream of becoming a top tennis player isn’t only hers but that too of her parents.
Hailey made headlines in 2019 after defeating Madison Keys at the Citi Open. Since then, not much has happened in her career.
Baptiste is currently in action at the same tournament and has progressed through the round of 16. She is facing fellow American Coco Gauff, world No.7, who is coming from a disappointing Wimbledon tournament.
Hailey Baptiste Parents, Quasim Baptiste, And Shari Dishman
Hailey Baptiste’s parents, Quasim Baptiste and Shari Dishman raised their sole child in the capital, Washington DC.
Raised by a dad who is a big fan of the Washington Nationals, Quasim wasn’t one to hand the tennis racquet to his daughter. Hailey was the one to hand over her dad the racquet when she was four years old, telling him to serve her.
Quasim works as a day-to-day manager for his daughter, encouraging her to take up the sport she has found success in. In 2019, after Hailey defeated Madison Keys, Quasim said he had chills throughout the game.
The victory meant a lot to Baptiste, who was playing at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, a place only five minutes from where she was born and raised.
The tennis player’s mother has previously admitted to selling thousands of dollar worth of inherited bonds and stocks to help to keep her daughters’ tennis dream alive. Tennis is one of those sports in which, if you don’t have sponsors, managing expenses will certainly ear you alive.
Shari And Quasim Two Different Approaches
In an interview with a YouTube channel, Parenting Aces, the couple described how they display two polar opposite emotions whenever their daughter plays.
The interview was taken alongside Francis Tiafoe’s dad, Francis Tiafoe Sr, who is a good friend of the couple. The interviewer first panned her question to Quasim about the difficulties of being a tennis parent.
The father/manager agreed with the interviewer, saying as a parent, he feels the same anxiety when Hailey plays US Open as he did when she played lawn tennis ten years ago.
He added as a parent he puts his emotion into every ball that Hailey faces. But when Shari was asked if she felt the same way, the answer was quite different.
Shari said she isn’t as expressive as Quasim and doesn’t show many emotions. She might be dying inside but will keep it intact on the outside. But the couple did say it created a healthy balance.
Quasim is available on Instagram with the username @qbaptiste, where he shares photos of his traveling duties as a tennis parent and his daughter’s achievements.
Shari does have an Instagram handle but has kept it private. In 2016, through her Facebook page, Shari launched a GoFundMe page for her daughter’s tennis career.
Hailey Baptiste Career So Far
Born on November 3, 2001, Hailey Baptiste began playing tennis at age four. After falling in love with the game, Hailey’s family decided to enroll her at William Fitzgerald Tennis Center.
There Hailey quickly rose through the ranks and soon needed more formal training. Coming from a modest income household, Baptiste and her parents had a hard time gathering the funds to enroll their daughter at JTCC.
JTCC facility was known to be home to top junior-level players and world-renowned coaches. But the couple went ahead and enrolled their daughter at JTCC. At the time, Hailey was seven.
Hailey has won four singles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit, one WTA Doubles title, and two ITF Doubles titles. It’s been an uphill battle for Hailey in recent years, as she hasn’t been able to stay consistent.
But a recent surge in form should help the DC native to push her rankings into the top 200.
