While the tennis world is fully absorbed in the early rounds of Roland Garros, there’s a heartbreaking update from 26-year-old American tennis player Kayla Day. Day recently took to Instagram to share the news that she has lost both of her parents within the span of a single year. The post saw a wave of love and support from her peers on the WTA Tour, including from Amanda Anisimova, Sloane Stephens, Desirae Krawczyk, and Asia Muhammad.
Kayla Day’s Tragic Loss Draws Support From Amanda Anisimova and More
Day lost her mother, Dana, on March 25, 2025, following a battle with a serious illness, in Santa Barbara, California, and her father, Andrew, within a year after that. In her somber Instagram post, Day expressed the grief of navigating back-to-back tragedies, while also thanking her support system for helping her survive it.
“My two angels are watching over me now 🕊️❤️ It has been incredibly hard to find words to express what it feels like to lose both my parents in the span of one year. It still doesn’t feel real. I am beyond grateful to have such amazing people uplifting and standing by me everyday – I would not be able to get through this without you guys 💓,” she wrote in the caption, sharing photos of her parents holding her as a baby.
We’ve seen that the friendship among the American WTA players runs deep, and they immediately flooded the comments to offer their condolences and emotional support:
World No. 6 Anisimova commented, “I’m so sorry Kayla 😭🤍 thinking of you ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹”
Anisimova’s message carries particular weight because she resonates more with Day. In 2019, Anisimova lost her father and longtime coach, Konstantin, just before the US Open.
Grand Slam champion Sloane Stephens offered her comfort, writing, “Sending love and prayers your way ❤️,” while doubles standouts Desirae Krawczyk and Asia Muhammad echoed the sentiment: “Sending you so much love Kayla ❤️🩹” and “So so sorry Kayla. Thinking of you ❤️🩹🫂.”
Day’s career has been a rollercoaster of early victories, injuries, and comebacks. In 2016, she made headlines by winning the US Open Girls’ Singles title and becoming the junior World No. 1. In the pro level, she mostly played in the ITF circuit, but in 2023, she fought through French Open qualifying and stunned Madison Keys to reach the third round, which is her best major result. By July, she officially broke into the WTA Top 100 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 84 in April 2024.
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Day has always been deeply close to her family and frequently credits her parents for her success. Her mother, who emigrated from the Czech Republic, was her initial inspiration; Kayla started playing tennis when she was eight, simply from watching Dana play.
At the 2026 French Open, Day played the qualifiers, but she lost in three sets to France’s Océane Dodin.
The women who supported her are also on the grounds in Paris right now. Stephens played her first round match against Sara Bejlek but lost 6-3, 6-2. Anisimova beat Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah in straight sets and will play against Austria’s Julia Grabher in the second round. Meanwhile, Krawczyk and Muhammad remain staples of the doubles circuit and are set to play mixed doubles first-round matches today.
