Meet Julius Erving's Formerly Secret Daughter, Tennis Star Alexandra Stevenson

The revelation that Julius Erving was Alexandra Stevenson's father answered a number of questions that had swirled her whole life. People had wondered where she got her 6'1" frame and off-the-charts athletic ability. They questioned where the father of this multi-racial girl with the big personality had been. And they wanted to know if there was any truth to Dr. J being her father when a tearful Alexandra blurted it out on the playground as a toddler. However, for Alexandra, having that information in the public wasn't enough to pursue a relationship with Erving. It took another decade before she was ready to finally deal with her legendary father. And when they met, Erving later recalled to ESPN, "I wasn't there when she was born, but that's right up there with the birth of your child — and this one is a rebirth."

Over the next two decades, Stevenson struggled to regain the form she displayed during that fairy tale run at Wimbledon. She rose to No. 18 in the world in 2003, but was soon hampered with a shoulder injury that kept her from playing her power game. "I haven't been able to compete properly, so I can't walk away from that," Stevenson told The New York Times. "My age doesn't mean anything to me. It's a hard sport; it's not forgiving." Despite some flashes of brilliance over the years, she was never able to get back inside the top 200 again.

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