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Mothers in Tennis Grow in Influence

WIMBLEDON, England — Evgeniya Rodina’s daughter is always on her mind, but she was conspicuously out of sight Friday when Rodina upset Madison Keys in the third round at Wimbledon. Anna, a rambunctious 5-year-old, cannot sit still in the players’ box, and her movements can distract Rodina from her business on the court. Rodina’s husband, Denis Shteyngart, is also her coach, so he has to watch her, not their child.

Rodina’s solution typically is to leave her daughter in the players’ lounge with stern instructions to watch movies on her tablet and behave. But at this tournament, she has a better option.