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Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul Entertain For Charity In Vero Beach, Florida

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eilly Opelka, the No. 26-ranked tennis player in the world, and Tommy Paul, the No. 43-ranked player in the world, showed off their skills in a special charity exhibition match in front of a sold-out crowd Thursday December 9 at The Boulevard Tennis Club.

The special event, organized by Vero Beach’s world renowned sports physical therapist Gary Kitchell, benefitted the Sally Wilkey Foundation and could mark the start of annual December tennis charity exhibition with big-name tennis professionals during their brief off-season.

“I’m very grateful for these two top young Americans who are definitely stars on the rise,” said Kitchell of Opelka and Paul, both of whom he has worked with on the ATP Tour. “For them to come and support the Sally Wilkey Foundation, and on of personal level, come and support me as a friend, it means a lot to me.”

The event started with an entertaining question-and-answer session with Opelka and Paul, moderated by Kitchell, followed by a one-set match between the two upstart American tennis stars, won by Opelka 7-6 (7-5) in front of an enthusiastic and appreciative Vero Beach tennis crowd.

Opelka and Paul, both age 24, are part of a new generation of U.S. tennis players who are looking to return American men’s tennis to the upper echelons of the game. An American man has not won a major singles championship since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003 and the United States has not won the Davis Cup since 2007. Both Opelka and Paul have played Davis Cup for the United States, captained by Vero Beach native son Mardy Fish, and both have showed glimpses of breaking through into the top 10 in the world rankings. Opelka reached the singles final at the Canadian Open in Toronto, one of the biggest events on the ATP Tour, and the semifinals at the Italian Open in Rome. Paul is fresh off winning his first ATP singles title at the Swedish Open in Stockholm last month.

Opelka, who stands at 6-feet 11-inches tall, is known as one of the fastest and best servers in tennis. However, it was Paul, who stands at 6-foot-one, who shined more with his serve, delivering no less than three aces during the one-set match. While Opelka mainly hit his huge kick serve during the night, he did connect on several rocket forehands, including a passing shot winner to close out the match at 6-5 in the tiebreaker.

The Sally Wilkey Foundation is a non-profit organization that enriches the lives of vulnerable local children through tennis. It helps to fund tennis for children who would not otherwise be able to afford to play, offering weekly tennis lessons as well as educational support, meals and equipment.

Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul To Play For Charity In Vero Beach, Florida

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Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul, two of the top American professional tennis players, will play in a special charity tennis exhibition Thursday, December 9 at 5 pm at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida.

The event, that will feature a question-and-answer session with both pros followed by the exhibition match, will benefit the Sally Wilkey Foundation, the Vero Beach charitable foundation that provides tennis instruction and financial assistance to in-need children in the Vero Beach area.

The event was organized by Vero Beach’s Gary Kitchell, the well-known sports physical therapist, who has worked with Opelka as well as three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe among others. Kitchell will serve as the emcee for the question and answer session as well as the chair umpire for the exhibition match.

“It will be one of the most exciting nights of tennis ever in Vero Beach with Reilly and Tommy, two of best players in the world, showcasing their talents at The Boulevard for a great cause,” said Christophe Delavaut, the Director of Tennis and co-owner of The Boulevard.“We are very thankful to Gary Kitchell, one of your most charismatic and outgoing members, for being the driving force for this top-flight night of tennis entertainment. We applaud Gary’s dedication and service to the sport of tennis and to his current and future efforts to give back to the sport to those who are less fortunate.”

Opelka just completed a breakthrough year on the ATP Tour, reaching the Masters 1000 event in Toronto, defeating French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas before falling to eventual U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the final. He also reached the semifinals of the Italian Championships and the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Standing six-foot 11 inches tall, Opelka is one of the tallest players to ever play pro tennis and is also one of the fast servers in the sports history with his 140 mph-plus delivery.

Paul is fresh off winning his first ATP singles title at the Stockholm Open in Sweden, defeating former world No. 1 Andy Murray en route. He represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Tokyo last summer and was a member of the 2020 U.S. Davis Cup team. His best appearance at a Grand Slam tournament came when he reached the third round of the 2020 Australian Open.

Tickets can be purchased for $75 at www.VeroBeachTennisTickets.com. Tickets will cost $90 after December 6.  Seating will be limited to about 150 seats in the Boulevard bleacher seating area.

The Boulevard Tennis Club is the leading tennis in Vero Beach and also the home of the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships $15,000 ITF World Tennis Tour U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit event held in April.

Tommy Paul and Reilly Opelka
Tommy Paul and Reilly Opelka

Roger Federer withdraws from Western & Southern Open and US Open

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Roger Federer withdraws from Western & Southern Open and US Open 2021 for surgery, says future is a little bit unclear

Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open and the US Open 2021. The reason for that is a third knee surgery that is necessary to keep him playing longer. Unfortunately the news also means that Federer will be sidelined for the rest of 2021. In an Instagram post Federer explained his reasons why.

“I’ve been doing a lot of checks with the doctors, as well, on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further during the grass-court season and Wimbledon,” the 40-year-old said in an Instagram post Sunday.”Unfortunately, they told me for the medium to long-term, to feel better, I will need surgery, so I decided to do it. I will be on crutches for many weeks and then also out of the game for many months.”

“I want to be healthy. I want to be running around later, as well, again, and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope, also, to return to the tour in some shape or form,” he added.”I am realistic, don’t get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age right now to do another surgery and try it.”

Naomi Osaka donates prize money to Haiti relief efforts

Multiple Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka has donated her prize money to support relief efforts after an earthquake hit Haiti. Osaka’s father is from Haiti and she has pledged to give whatever she earns at the Western & Southern Open to the Haiti relief efforts. The Western & Southern Open is played from August 14 until August 22.

Haiti was struck by a major earthquake that hit 7.2 on the scale of Richter. So far 1297 have been found dead according to the official reports at the time of writing.

“Really hurts to see all the devastation that’s going on in Haiti, and I feel like we really can’t catch a break,” Osaka said on Twitter.

“I’m about to play a tournament this week and I’ll give all the prize money to relief efforts for Haiti. I know our ancestors blood is strong we’ll keep rising.”

Novak Djokovic cites fatigue and withdraws from Western & Southern Open

Novak Djokovic informed fans via Twitter that he will not be playing the Western & Southern Open due to heavy fatigue.

“Dear fans, I wanted to share with you that I am taking a bit longer to recover and recuperate after quite a taxing journey from Australia to Tokyo,” Djokovic wrote. “Sadly, that means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati this year, so I’ll turn my focus and attention to the US Open and spend some more time with family. See you in New York soon!” He will perhaps try his luck at Olybet Sports  

Rafael Nadal cancels Western & Southern Open with foot injury

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup and now the Western & Southern Open says that Rafael Nadal will not be able to compete in Cincinnati due to the foot injury that has been hounding him since the start of the US Open series. It started at the Citi Open in Washington where he already indicated in several interviews that his success largely depended on how well his foot would hold.

Next to Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, Milos Raonic was also forced to withdraw citing a heel injury.

Serena Williams withdraws from Western & Southern Open at the women’s

Serena Williams was among the high profile competitors to skip the Western & Southern Open and thus grows the list of high profile players who are forced to skip the Cincinnatti tournament in 2021. Sister Venus Williams also joined that list of absentees.

“Unfortunately, I will not be playing in the Western & Southern Open next week as I am still in recovery from my leg injury at Wimbledon,” said the two-time champion Serena. “I will miss all of my fans in Cincinnati whom I look forward to seeing every summer. I plan to be back on the court very soon.”

Sofia Kenin is the next in line to skip the Western & Southern tennis tournament in Cincinnatti.

“Unfortunately I had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open next week,” said Kenin. “I am rehabbing well in hopes to play the US Open later this month. I feel another week of recovery is necessary. I want to thank the USTA for all their efforts in holding the event during such challenging times. Best of luck to all the players.”

The field of the women’s part of the tournament is still going strong even with the withdraws.

2021 Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty as well as Naomi Osaka (2020 US Open, 2021 Australian Open), Barbora Krejcikova (2021 French Open) and Iga Swiatek (2020 French Open). And let’s not forget about the underdogs who won the Western & Southern Open in the past such as Victoria Azarenka, Madison Keys, Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova.

Camila Giorgi wins WTA Montreal

Italian Camila Giorgi wins the WTA tournament in Montreal by defeating Karolina Pliskova in straight sets 6-3 7-5. The WTA in Montreal title is the biggest tournament win for Giorgi ever in her career.

 “I really think I was very emotional inside,” said Giorgi. “Of course, I’m not the one that shows a lot. Of course, it’s just amazing. I’m very happy for what I did this week.” 

Karolina Pliskova had the following to say after her loss to Giorgi at the National Bank Open in Montreal:

 “I think I’m doing quite well now. Since actually the first final in Rome, I think my game really improved and I’m playing some good matches. Of course, it’s normal to lose sometimes. Of course, I would love to win all of my finals. It’s not like that it’s only in my hands. There is also somebody else. I’m playing really good players in the final.”

Despite having lost three key finals, Rome , Wimbledon and now the WTA Womens 1000 in Montreal. But proved herself to be a lovable loser in the end.

Said Pliskova: “I think she also played, like, super solid all week actually, not playing crazy like she can play sometimes. I think she played really well, serving well important moments. Yeah, just a bit better today.”

Camila Giorgi was sure to thank her father in her speech following her big win.

 “I think this comes with all the work I been doing with my father. Of course, he’s my coach. So I think all the work we’ve been putting together through all these years. I think one day I was sure and he was sure that can come in many period because I was playing very good actually. I was playing very high level already few months ago.” Though her father Sergio wasn’t in Montreal, she said they “talk a hundred times per day even FaceTime or calls.”

Daniil Medvedev takes ATP Toronto

Daniiel Medvedev has won the ATP Tournament of Toronto in this year’s edition of the Rogers Cup with a straight sets win over Reilly Opelka 6-4 6-3 thanks to Opelka’s failing serve.

Daniil Medvedev wins Rogers Cup Toronto and is now off to the Western & Southern Open

“When I played Reilly, I feel like I like to return it really far back, because otherwise it’s super tough to return,” Medvedev said earlier in the week, when he was asked about the prospect of facing the American’s serve. “At the same time, it’s obvious that if he starts making kicks and serve and volley, well, I’m not gonna have any chance by returning far back.”

Medvedev is now off to the Western & Southern tennis tournament in Cincinnatti following his great win in Toronto:

“I want to achieve more, I want to play better,” he said. “[In Canada and Cincinnati] the goal is to know where your game is.”