Did You Know? These Tennis Stars Come from Billionaire Families

Tennis has its share of famous families, but Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro have a particularly notable connection: both are professional players whose fathers built billion-dollar fortunes outside the sport. Their family names are already familiar in the worlds of professional sports, business, and philanthropy—and now, increasingly, in tennis.

Both Jessica and Emma have built successful careers on the WTA Tour. Their fathers, meanwhile, have made their fortunes in business and professional sports. Ahead, get to know the families behind these two tennis stars.

For tennis fans, Jessica Pegula is best known for her powerful baseline game and consistent presence at the biggest tournaments. Away from the court, however, she’s the daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula, the billionaire owners of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.

According to Forbes, Terry Pegula has an estimated net worth of $9.3 billion. His fortune came primarily from oil and gas: he founded East Resources in 1983 with a $7,500 loan from family and friends before selling most of the company’s assets to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion in 2010.

The family later moved into professional sports. Terry and Kim purchased the Buffalo Sabres in 2011 for a reported $189 million, followed by the Buffalo Bills in 2014 for $1.4 billion. Their sports holdings have since included teams in lacrosse and hockey as well.

For Jessica, tennis has been part of the family story since childhood. Her parents began encouraging her to play when she was seven, and the family moved between Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Florida as she pursued the sport more seriously.

In a 2021 episode of the Bills Pod Squad podcast, she described her father as particularly demanding when it came to tennis, saying he pushed her to work harder and adopt an old-school work ethic. Her mother, meanwhile, played more of a role in her nutrition, recovery, and overall well-being.

Despite the family’s ownership of major sports franchises, Jessica has established a sporting identity that is distinctly her own. She has reached the quarterfinals or better at multiple Grand Slam tournaments, including becoming the 2024 US Open runner-up, and has become one of the most recognizable American players on tour.

Emma Navarro also grew up around sports and business, though her family’s empire has a distinctly different footprint. Her father, Ben Navarro, is the founder and CEO of Sherman Financial Group and, according to Forbes, has a net worth of about $3.2 billion.

Born in New York City and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Emma grew up alongside three siblings. Her family was deeply involved in tennis, and she began taking the sport seriously in elementary school. In an interview with Charleston Day School, she recalled waking up around 5:45 a.m. to play before school.

Her father was already building a business empire at the time. Sherman Financial Group, which Ben co-founded in 1998, became a major player in the credit card and consumer finance industry. He later expanded his investments into real estate and professional sports.

Emma’s mother, Kelly Navarro, has also had a hand in the family’s business ventures. According to Beemok, she’s a co-founder of the company and serves as its vice president of strategy and design.

Tennis became one of their family’s investments, too. Through Beemok Sports, Ben purchased Charleston Tennis LLC, the company behind the Charleston Open, in 2019. He later acquired the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati in 2022, according to Forbes.

Her own résumé has since become impressive enough to stand apart from the family name. After playing college tennis at the University of Virginia, Emma turned professional and quickly climbed the WTA rankings. She reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2024 and the US Open quarterfinals that same year.