Lindsay Davenport

Davenport's father, Wink, played on the 1968 U.S. Olympic volleyball team and her mother, Ann, served on the board of the U.S. Volleyball Association. Both were tall and Lindsay grew to 6-foot-2. (She has worn a size 10 men's tennis shoe.) She broke from her family's volleyball tradition, took up tennis, and played under the tutelage of the U.S. Tennis Association as a pre-teen. She captured singles and doubles championships at the 18-and-under national tournament in 1991 and a year later at the Junior U.S. Open. One week after turning pro in 1993, Davenport upset fifth-ranked Gabriela Sabatini in Delray Beach, Florida. The sudden media attention overwhelmed her.

Despite her rising status, however, some journalists made issue of her weight. She battled injuries and pneumonia, and once reached 200 pounds. Some players called her "Dump Truck" behind her back. And she had the added emotional baggage of her parents' divorce in 1995. The resulting stress isolated Davenport even from her sisters.