• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Tennis Verobeach

Mardy Fish Children's Foundation
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
  • USTA Vero Beach Futures
    • Event Info
    • Past Champions
    • Past Results
    • Yearly Recaps
    • Player History
  • Archive

Tommy Paul

Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul Entertain at The Boulevard

Randy Walker · December 11, 2021 · 1 Comment

Reilly 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 night 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 “kicked” his serve in 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.

Tommy Paul, Gary Kitchell and Reilly Opelka

Features Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul

Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul To Play Boulevard Charity Exhibition

Randy Walker · November 24, 2021 · Leave a Comment

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

Features Gary Kitchell, Reilly Opelka, The Boulevard, Tommy Paul

Primary Sidebar

Connect with us

TwitterFacebook

TennisVeroBeach Follow

TennisVeroBeach
tennisverobeach TennisVeroBeach @tennisverobeach ·
1 Feb

Power outage in South Vero Beach on the island?!?

Reply on Twitter 1620934708728328194 Retweet on Twitter 1620934708728328194 Like on Twitter 1620934708728328194 Twitter 1620934708728328194
tennisverobeach TennisVeroBeach @tennisverobeach ·
30 Jan

Cooper Williams Winning Aussie Open Boys' Doubles Title Gives 2023 Mardy Fish Competitors Three Junior Boys' Doubles Majors https://tennisverobeach.com/index.php/2023/01/29/cooper-williams-winning-aussie-open-boys-doubles-title-gives-2023-mardy-fish-competitors-three-junior-boys-doubles-majors/ via @tennisverobeach

Reply on Twitter 1620090489453309955 Retweet on Twitter 1620090489453309955 Like on Twitter 1620090489453309955 Twitter 1620090489453309955
tennisverobeach TennisVeroBeach @tennisverobeach ·
30 Jan

Overhead view of the Vero Beach Tennis & Fitness Club, site of the 2023 @VeroFutures

Reply on Twitter 1620090272645545984 Retweet on Twitter 1620090272645545984 Like on Twitter 1620090272645545984 Twitter 1620090272645545984
tennisverobeach TennisVeroBeach @tennisverobeach ·
28 Jan

Mardy Fish Wins At Lake Nona....In Pro Celebrity Golf! (Again!) https://tennisverobeach.com/index.php/2023/01/28/mardy-fish-wins-at-lake-nona-in-pro-celebrity-golf-again/ via @tennisverobeach

Reply on Twitter 1619480677153636352 Retweet on Twitter 1619480677153636352 Like on Twitter 1619480677153636352 1 Twitter 1619480677153636352
tennisverobeach TennisVeroBeach @tennisverobeach ·
28 Jan

76-Year-Old Competes At Vero Beach International Women's Pro Event At Grand Harbor https://tennisverobeach.com/index.php/2023/01/28/76-year-old-competes-at-vero-beach-international-womens-pro-event-at-grand-harbor/ via @tennisverobeach

Reply on Twitter 1619480026206081024 Retweet on Twitter 1619480026206081024 Like on Twitter 1619480026206081024 Twitter 1619480026206081024
Load More

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in