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Reilly Opelka

Reilly Opelka and John Isner Play The Longest Men’s Singles Tiebreaker Ever At The Dallas Open…Or Was It?!?!

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Records that are equaled five different times deserve to be broken.

Saturday at the first-year Dallas Open in Texas, John Isner and Reilly Opelka played the longest tiebreaker in men’s singles play in ATP history when Opelka won a 24-22 second-set tiebreaker in his 7-6 (7), 7-6 (22) semifinal win.

Back at Wimbledon in 1973, Bjorn Borg, then just a 17-year-old won a 20-18 tiebreaker over Premjit Lall to close out a 6-3, 6-4, 9-8 (20-18) first round victory. 1973 Wimbledon. Since then, five times (as outlined below), the 20-18 tiebreaker threshold was equaled, but not eclipsed in men’s singles, in matches featuring Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin, Goran Ivanisevic and others, including another player named “Bjorn.”

While a women’s singles match and women’s doubles match broke the 20-18 mark (as seen below), the longest ever tie-breaker on record in a “tour-level” match was 50 points (26-24) Michael Mortensen and Jan Gunnarson beating John Frawley and Victor Pecci 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (26-24) in the first round of Wimbledon in 1985.

The Opelka vs. Isner match harkened me back to a story I wrote about an even longer tiebreaker in very distinct and unusual circumstances, as excerpted below.

The longest tie-breaker on record was played last weekend.

Except, it’s not on record.

The talk of the tennis world on Monday – particularly on Twitter – was of a 70-point tie-breaker played Sunday between two members of Monaco’s Davis Cup team in the third round of qualifying at the $10,000 USTA Futures event in Plantation, Florida – Benjamin Balleret defeating Guillaume Couillard 7-6 (36-34), 6-1. The tie-breaker was 20 points longer than the previous longest tie-breaker on record, which was, according to THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS, a 50-point (26-24) tie-breaker in a Wimbledon doubles match from 1985.

The only “problem” with the Balleret-Couillard tie-breaker is that there is, technically, no real “record” of it.

After word of the epic tie-breaker was distributed via social media from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), I sent an email to David Littlefield, the USTA/ITF Tour Supervisor on site at the event, to get more details on the historic match, such as number of set points each player had, how long the tie-breaker was in length of time and any other stats that could be mustered. The official chair umpire’s scorecard is always the official record of any tennis match that is played.

Littlefield reminded me in his return email to me late Monday night that the Balleret-Couillard match was only a qualifying match in a Futures event, the lowest level tournament in pro tennis and, as he wrote, “all matches in qualifying are played without any chair umpire or any lines people. The players call their own lines and the matches have a few ‘roving’ certified officials that watch several courts at once and may be called on from time to time to settle any disputes between the players. There is no ‘official’ record of the match, such as a scorecard, no total time of the set, nor any way to know the number of set points any of the players had in the course of the tie-break.”

He went on to write that the now famous tie-breaker was witnessed by spectators and that the players are true professionals who “would not just make up a score for the hell of it.”

Couillard tweeted that he had 11 set points in tie-breaker, meaning that Balleret had at least 19 set points.

Balleret is 29 years old and currently ranked No. 636 after posting a career high ranking of No. 204 in 2006. That year, he qualified for his hometown ATP tournament in Monte Carlo, defeating former top-five player Jonas Bjorkman in the final round of qualifying. Couillard is currently unranked, held a career-high ranking of No. 569 in 2002 and is 37 years old.

According to the authoritative THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS book ($35.95, available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559386/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_H3S87FHAE9J2X11RA0HY the longest tie-break on record – 50 points – came in the first round of Wimbledon in 1985 when Michael Mortensen and Jan Gunnarson defeated John Frawley and Victor Pecci 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (26-24). The full list of the longest tie-breakers from the Collins’ book is found below.

Longest Tie-Breakers

Men’s Singles

38 – (20-18) Roger Federer d. Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6 (20-18), semifinal, 2004 Tennis Masters Cup, Houston

38 – (20-18) Bjorn Borg d. Premjit Lall 6-3, 6-4, 9-8 (20-18), first round, 1973 Wimbledon

38 – (20-18) Andy Roddick d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (18-20), 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-3, first round, 2007 Australian Open

38 – (20-18) Goran Ivanisevic d. Daniel Nestor 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (20-18), first round, 1993 US Open

38 – (20-18) Jose Acasuso d. Bjorn Phau 7-5 7-6 (20-18), first round, Toronto, 2006

38 – (20-18) Goran Ivanisevic d. Greg Rusedski, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (20-18), semifinal, Queens Club, 1997

Women’s Singles

40 – (21-19) Emmanuelle Gagliardi d. Tara Snyder 6-7 (19-21), 6-1, 6-1, second round, Madrid, 1999

Men’s Doubles

50 – (26-24) Michael Mortensen and Jan Gunnarson d. John Frawley and Victor Pecci 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (26-24), first round, Wimbledon, 1985

Women’s Doubles

42 – (22-20) Nicole Pratt and Bryanne Stewart d. Corina Morariu and Rennae Stubbs 7-6 (5), 7-6 (22-20), first round, 2006 Amelia Island

Ben Balleret of Monaco has a unique footnote mention in "The Bud Collins History of Tennis"
Ben Balleret of Monaco has a unique footnote mention in “The Bud Collins History of Tennis”

An Entertaining Q&A With Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul From Vero Beach, Florida

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The following is an entertaining question and answer session with top American tennis players Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul, conducted by noted sports physical therapist Gary Kitchell, at The Boulevard Tennis Club in Vero Beach, Florida on December 9 as part of a charity fundraiser event for the Sally Wilkey Foundation. To read more of the event, click here: https://tennisgrandstand.com/2021/12/14/reilly-opelka-tommy-paul-entertain-for-charity-in-vero-beach-florida/

TOMMY PAUL: I was born in New Jersey, but…

GARY KITCHELL: South Jersey.

TOMMY PAUL: Yep. Outside Philly. And then grew up in North Carolina, basically from six months old until 15. So I’m a North Carolina guy. I’m sorry.

GARY KITCHELL: Tommy, when did you actually start playing tennis? And were you involved in other sports prior to that?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I started playing tennis at six years old, but I played every sport. Every sport besides soccer, never got into it.

GARY KITCHELL: Okay. Were you pretty good at the other sports?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I’d say. Basketball is always my favorite to play and baseball, I feel like I was pretty good at it. But, I didn’t think I could get to the level that I’m at tennis in those sports so started pursuing tennis.

GARY KITCHELL Great. Reilly, keeping the playing field even. How about you? Where were you born? Where were you raised?

REILLY OPELKA: I was born in St. Joseph, Michigan and I’ve been raised in Florida but I’m actually from Palm Coast. So not too far up the street from Vero, a little small, quiet beach town. So yeah, that’s home for me. I live in Boca Raton now, so I think I’m a Florida guy, I got to claim it.

GARY KITCHELL: Awesome. Tommy, when did you first become an academy student? When did you first go to a tennis academy? How old were you?

TOMMY PAUL: I’d say my first time going to an academy was USTA in Boca. I was probably 13 years old, 12 or 13 years old. I started going a week at a time and then I ended up being full time, around 15 years old. And then, yeah. And then I started doing my own thing.

GARY KITCHELL: Tommy, is there any truth to the fact that you actually were sent home several times from the academies over the years or? I just want to clarify that.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, there’s a lot of truth to that. Maybe two or three times I got kicked out. You said it nicely, but I’ll say it how it is. I got kicked out of the academy a few times, but they always let me back in.

GARY KITCHELL: Well, I think they recognized your talent. Do you feel you were kicked out of lack of effort on the court or was it the off court activities?

TOMMY PAUL: Off court stuff. (Laughs)

GARY KITCHELL: I think Reilly might tell a story about the public’s parking lot in a little while. Reilly, same question, when did you arrive at the academy?

REILLY OPELKA: Same time as Tommy, actually. We started together and yeah, that was pretty much it. We moved in together in the dorms, we were roommates since we were 14 years old.

GARY KITCHELL: Okay. So your first impressions of Tommy Paul, what were they? When you met this kid from Greenville, North Carolina?

REILLY OPELKA: Looking back at it now, he was Ferris Bueller is what I always say. That was his personality, that his character. He was the troublemaker and I was guilty by association through all of it. So I had a few trips home myself as well. Not as many as him, but he’s definitely dragged me down there with him. I entertained it as well. Yeah, guilty by association.-

GARY KITCHELL: So if we move forward 10 years, has any of those impressions changed?

REILLY OPELKA: I’m sure they have. I’ll always remember Him as what we were when we were 14, to be honest. But yeah, he’s definitely, unfortunately, matured a lot. It’s not as entertaining for me, but he’s matured a lot. Sometimes, the Ferris Bueller will come out of him. But for the most part he’s matured, which unfortunately, if you want to be good in this business, you have to do.

GARY KITCHELL: I love to hear that. Tommy, do you have a… Actually, you know what? It’s not a question, but it is now. Do you have a comeback? What’d you think of this long, draw to drink of water that came from North Florida? What were your impressions of Reilly and how did you choose to room together? Was that it choice or were you assigned?

TOMMY PAUL: I think a little bit of both. I think we were assigned, but we wanted a room together. And yeah, first thoughts of Reilly, I think… We kind of met each other one time before that when we were 10, we played in the tournament. But, I remember my family loved Reilly. So, my mom would always be really excited when I was hanging out with Reilly, so ended up being a lot of time together with Reilly.

GARY KITCHELL: Probably a good influence from a parental point of view?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah. Yeah. He was always really good with the parents. So…

GARY KITCHELL: Yeah, actually he still is. Reilly, you have many nicknames on tour. I’m going to throw out a few of them, Servebot, T-Rex, Braveheart, Renaissance man. Now, for private reasons, you and I cannot discuss T-Rex and Braveheart, but we surely can enlighten the audience to tell us about how Servebot came about.

REILLY OPELKA: I think that one was pretty self explanatory, to be honest. It was something that John Isner and I got labeled. We obviously hold serve a lot. We hit a lot of ACEs. And, I think it was meant to be more of a negative term that we just made a joke out of and it caught on. All the other nicknames that Kitch mentioned were given to me by Kitch, so there was no one else on tour that does call me that besides Kitch.

GARY KITCHELL: So let’s discuss the Renaissance man.

REILLY OPELKA: I just found out about this one by the way.

GARY KITCHELL About a week ago. But I think this is great, great segues, it’s great depth to pro tennis players. Remember I’ve been doing this for 40 years, so invariably, I always get asked the personal questions. I don’t get asked, what was the forehand like? What was the serve like? What kind of guy is he? Or, what are his interests? How is he to hang out? Do they drink? Of course, I always say, “No. No. No, they do not.” So let’s talk to a minute, just a little bit about your love apart because it is a big deal. You were just all over social media, down at Art Basel, tell us about your growing love of the art industry.

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, it’s one of my passions. Something I’ve always loved since I was young, but really got more into it as I started spending more time in Europe, on the road. There’s a pretty remarkable museum almost in every city when you’re in Europe, it seems like. So it was more accessible there and collecting became a big hobby of mine. I guess John McEnroe was one of the pioneers of that, in terms of sport. He’s probably got the best art collection in the history of any athlete, which I’m sure Kitch is familiar with, he’s probably seen some of the crazy stuff that Johnny Mac has. If people that don’t know, it’s remarkable, his home is like a museum. He actually has a studio, he has a gallery in Soho with some of the greatest arts of all time, which is really incredible for me to see. Especially coming from another tennis player, it’s unheard of.

GARY KITCHELL: That’s great. Just a couple names, share with us some of the artists that you’ve really fallen in love with, and that you’re collecting?

REILLY OPELKA: That I’m collecting, Friedrich Kunath, is one that I love. A guy, Rabinowitz another. Johnny Mac has a Friedrich Kunath. My favorite artist of all time, not in my collection is Philip Guston. I was super impressed Mac has four of them, of course, which is really remarkable.

GARY KITCHELL: Great. Thank you. I just love that. Actually, I was staying with Johnny Mac in his apartment one night and I don’t know, he had to run out. And he left me there and he said, “Listen, I’m having a painting delivered. Just check it out and make sure it’s okay.” I’m thinking, all right. So we opened the box, it’s actually created, and it’s a very macabre painting of the killing of Abraham Lincoln. It’s a crazy one. And so I’m like, “How do I know? What am I looking for? Chip pieces on the frames? Or whatever.” So it’s all good, now I’m going to sign and it was $1.5 million that I was authorizing that the painting was okay. So I know those feelings. Tommy, changing gears here a little bit. 2015 was a pretty big year in your life regarding tennis. Correct me if I’m wrong, you verbally committed to maybe going to the University of Georgia. Mikael Pernfors, Pernie, where are you? Oh yeah. That’s, yeah, good. Thanks Mikael.

GARY KITCHELL: So tell us a little bit. Actually, for both of you, 2015 was a big year. You win junior Wimbledon. You win the junior French. You make it to the finals of the junior US Open. You beat Fritz, Taylor Fritz, at Windy. You lose to Him at the US Open, right? You beat Taylor Fritz in the semis at Winby. And go on, who did you beat in the finals?

TOMMY PAUL: Mikael Ymer.

GARY KITCHELL: Oh, Michael Ymer. Great. So tell us a little bit about your decision thinking. You’re going to become a Bulldog, University of Georgia, quality tennis and you make a decision at some point to turn pro, and you’re 17, 18?

TOMMY PAUL: I was 18. Yeah. Just turned 18. Basically the whole beginning of the year, I thought I was going to go to school. I wanted to turn pro, but I didn’t know what I wanted yet. And I had a really good summer, right before French Open juniors and through the French Open juniors. And then I got some offers to turn pro and ended up making that decision to turn pro. It was a big year for both of us, like you said. All the Americans that are our age, I think they all turned pro in 2015. So it was a big year. And I don’t think, at least for me, I didn’t know what I was signing up for at the time. Took me a little while to get ready and get on tour, and start playing good tennis. But I learned a lot in the couple years right after.

GARY KITCHELL: Well, we’re certainly glad you both turned pro. Reilly, similar question. I know you’d entertained a little bit about the University of Florida pretty much the same year. Do you think having success at the ITF to winning a junior slam said, “Hey, I might be able to make a living at this. I might be able to compete. I should give myself a chance.”

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah. That’s usually what goes, if you don’t win a slam, you don’t get a contract. So if you don’t get a contract, it’s an expensive business to run. When you have a coach, a physio, you’re on the road, 30-

GARY KITCHELL: Don’t. Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t say physios are expensive. I was very, very inexpensive during my years with you. Maybe-

REILLY OPELKA: You think so?

GARY KITCHELL: Maybe the toll I put on you otherwise was a little expensive, but I’m only kidding.

REILLY OPELKA: No, it is a tough… When you think about you got three flights to book and then another way to the next place, you got three hotel rooms, you got expenses, they add up. So if you don’t have a contract from a Fila or a New Balance, or a Nike, good luck.

GARY KITCHELL: Yeah. People don’t realize out there, you could be running a deficit of $150, $200,000 cost of traveling the world with a physio and a coach, it’s at least north of a hundred, your charges. So you are right. It’s a very expensive if you’re not able to produce. Hey, I have a trivia question. So I got to make sure I don’t give it away. Akira Santillan, William Blumberg. What is the relationship of those guys to you guys?

REILLY OPELKA: It’s the weirdest question I’ve ever been asked in my entire life.

GARY KITCHELL: Ever. Okay. I’ll make it easier. Tommy, tell me about Akira Santillan. No, I’m sorry. No, no. Tell me about William Blumberg. The college stand out from chapel hill. What do you know about him?

TOMMY PAUL: Good friend of mine. We’ve known him for a long time.

GARY KITCHELL: And did you lose a Grand Slam final with him? Doubles?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah. Yep. Played French Open junior doubles with him. Forgot about that.

GARY KITCHELL: Okay. Reilly, Akira Santillan. Did you lose a Grand Slam final with him?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah. Junior grand slam final.

GARY KITCHELL: What junior grand slam final?

REILLY OPELKA: Big difference.

GARY KITCHELL: I thought it was a good trivia. Come on, I had to dig deep for that.

REILLY OPELKA: Well, yeah, you must have dug deep for that one.

GARY KITCHELL: As you can see, the better half of both the doubles teams are sitting here tonight. Akira and William are not with us. That’s all I wanted to do ask. Hey, let’s talk about 2021, big year for both of you. Who wants to go first?

REILLY OPELKA: Tommy does.

GARY KITCHELL: Well, obviously, you obviously had a huge statement at the near end of the year. Why don’t you take us through Stockholm, winning your first ATP title?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, no. My whole goal for this year was to get a title and it happened in the last week of the year, which was…

GARY KITCHELL: Whoa, go Tommy.

TOMMY PAUL: It was really cool because I definitely finished the year with a win. So that was the first time and hopefully not the last time that happens, but it’s not easy to do. So I was really pumped about it. I started catching a rhythm towards the end of the year, and I almost didn’t even go to Stockholm because I was worn out. Everyone at the end of the year, their bodies are struggling to keep going. And, I’m happy I went and then I ended up playing my best tennis there.

GARY KITCHELL: Perfect. A little bit for all us tennis fans here. Just jump in for a minute. Conditions were right. Do you feel today… Especially how they’ve homogenized all the court surfaces around the world? Did the speed of the court suit your very athletic game?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I think there was perfect because it was so slow. Especially the balls that we were using were so slow that I felt like, I could use my speed and just put a lot of balls back in the court-

GARY KITCHELL: And run down everything.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah. Frustrate people. So, yeah.

GARY KITCHELL: Yeah. Let’s talk about the people that you beat. Let’s throw out those names. Do you remember?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah. Yeah. I played Bjorn Borg’s son.

GARY KITCHELL: Leo.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah. Leo Borg, not the really famous one. Yeah. And then I played Taylor Fritz, another friend of ours. Another American.

GARY KITCHELL: Close friend.

TOMMY PAUL:  I’m sure you guys know him. Then Andy Murray.

GARY KITCHELL: Former number one player in the world.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah. On his comeback trail. And then, Frances Tiafoe.

GARY KITCHELL: Another great friend.

TOMMY PAUL: Another great friend of ours. And then Shapovalov.

GARY KITCHELL: Yeah, defending champion. That’s a hell of a week. Let’s give it up for Tommy Paul. Reilly, talk to me a little bit, 2021 big year for you as well. You make the fourth round at the US Open. I think you make the first thousand master semifinal in Rome, and then you go completely crazy in Canada. Take me through Canada. Take everybody through the Canadian masters.

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, it was great. As soon as we got there, the courts were playing real fast, which usually suits my game pretty well. So I knew there was a chance at a good week to draw up, kind of opened up for me. I played Kyrgios, Dimitrov. I’m trying to think what we got. Lloyd Harris.

GARY KITCHELL: South African.

REILLY OPELKA: Yep.

GARY KITCHELL: Good competitor.

REILLY OPELKA: Yep. Saved some match points there in the third round.

GARY KITCHELL: RBA?

REILLY OPELKA: Yep. Bautista Agut, a Spaniard-

GARY KITCHELL: Tough competitor?

REILLY OPELKA: Yep. I played Tsitsipas in the semis and I lost to Medvedev

GARY KITCHELL: Yeah. And Medvedev. You both have played Medvedev. Right? Who was it, you? You have one win against Daniil?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah. I’m one in…

GARY KITCHELL: Four. One of Five.

REILLY OPELKA: Say, six.

GARY KITCHELL: Six. Yeah. I didn’t want to say six.

REILLY OPELKA: Maybe seven.

GARY KITCHELL: No, no. We’re going to say five. One in five.

REILLY OPELKA: Including juniors eight.

GARY KITCHELL: Eight. We could probably… Maybe close to 10. No…

REILLY OPELKA: We can round up.

GARY KITCHELL: Are you, O-11? 0-12? He’s…

TOMMY PAUL: O-11.

REILLY OPELKA: He beat Tommy at the French and then he beat me the next night.

GARY KITCHELL: Yeah. The guy’s a demon to play, isn’t he?

REILLY OPELKA: He’s a demon.

GARY KITCHELL: He’s a demon. You have no idea where he is hitting it, fast as hell, big serve.

REILLY OPELKA: Yep. He’s got it all.

GARY KITCHELL: Has no compassion for human life.

REILLY OPELKA: He’s a great guy-

GARY KITCHELL: The guy is unbelieve. He’s a nightmare play.

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, he is. He is.

GARY KITCHELL: Anyway, let’s give it up for Reilly that’s a hell of a week in Canada as well. So I had a wonderful opportunity. I’d been the medical director for 13 years on the senior tour, after I left the main tour when all the guys that I had worked with, Sampras, Courier Lendl, a few years earlier, of course, Mac a few years earlier, Agassi. I really didn’t have anything to do and then Jim started… We call it the senior tour, the champions tour. Anyway, we ended up having 187 vents around the world, which was great, got a chance to work with all the greats. I had an opening in my schedule and I was actually planning on retire. And this big guy called me in probably the summer of 2018. He’d been struggling physically a little bit. We peripherally knew each other, but I was so excited to get back at the big show. And Reilly was wonderful, took me all over the world. When I think back at that year, two things stick in my mind. One, the men’s tour is a time warp. I had left for 13 years. I was the only person that had left a tour, in 13 years. Every tournament director, every coach, players had become coaches. It was just the good old boys club being back and I was so excited. And the other thing I learned the most about was, Kodak Black, Pitbull, Lil Pump, Machine Gun Kelly, The Weeknd. I listened to freaking rap for 19 months every single day. And then every now and then, he would play Rod Stewart for me. I swear to God, I love rap today. Remember all those guys. This could be dangerous. I’d like to entertain a question from there, and a question from there, either for Tommy or Reilly. If I don’t like the question, I’m just going to publicly tell you, “That’s an awful question.” Who wants to go first?

GARY KITCHELL: The young lady in pink fushia stood up first. Davis Cup? Both the boys have played Davis cup. Who would you like to answer?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, we’d just got back from Italy. It was it was a rough couple ties for us. We lost to Italy, two, one. John and I both lost our singles, Sock and Rajeev won the doubles. And then, the next match we knew it was a tough situation because going into it, we knew we had to win. I think we had to win all six sets. So we had to win in straight sets, every match, which is a tough ask. All these guys are good and Frances had an unbelievable win, he saved match points in a crazy match. And then Isner lost a close one. And then Sock got Hewitt to pull out of the doubles against to Colombia, but it was unfortunate. It wasn’t the what we wanted, but it was good. Good time hanging with captain Mardy Fish. Yeah, the local Vero beach boy. Yeah, it was a good time. We didn’t play our best, unfortunately.

Tommy Paul, Gary Kitchell and Reilly Opelka

Fritz, Opelka, Querrey, Tiafoe, Sock Named To U.S. Davis Cup Team By New Captain Mardy Fish

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The USTA and United States Davis Cup Captain Mardy Fish announced that Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Sam Querrey, Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock will represent the U.S. in the 2019 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals November 18-24 in Madrid.

This year’s Finals – the first under the new, 18-team format featuring six groups of round-robin play followed by a knockout bracket – will be played on hard courts at La Caja Magica, the home of the Madrid Open. In Fish’s first ties as Captain, the U.S. will compete in Group F against Canada on Tuesday, November 19, and Italy, on Wednesday, November 20. Each tie features two singles and one doubles match, all best of three sets, played in one day. Captains have until one hour before the scheduled start of the tie to make their singles and doubles selections.

Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil were selected to represent Canada. The U.S. is 15-0 all-time vs. Canada, but the two haven’t played since 1965.

Matteo Berrettini, Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi and Simone Bolelli were selected to represent Italy. The U.S. is 7-3 all-time vs. Italy, the last tie being an Italian victory in the 1998 Semifinals.

The winner of each Group advances to the knockout Quarterfinal stage, as will the two second-best teams with the best records based on sets and games won. Performance at the Finals also has implications for the following year: The four semifinalists earn automatic entry into the 2020 Finals; The 12 teams that finish in 5th to 16th position will compete in the 2020 Qualifiers; The two teams with the worst records after the Group stage will be relegated to Zone Group play in 2020.

The U.S. team is a blend of Davis Cup youth and experience. Querrey is the most tenured Davis Cup player of the nominees, having played in 14 ties over eight years beginning in 2008, the year following the U.S.’s last Davis Cup title. Querrey, 32, featured in all three ties in 2018, going 3-0 in singles. Sock, 27, made his debut in 2015 and has played in six ties, in which the former world doubles No. 2 has gone 3-0 in doubles matches. Tiafoe, 21 and ranked No. 53, earns his second nomination, after debuting in last year’s Semifinals vs. Croatia.

Fritz and Opelka each earn their first U.S. Davis Cup nominations, becoming the 142nd and 143rd players to compete in Davis Cup for the U.S. Fritz, 21, has had a 2019 season in which he won his first ATP title at Eastbourne, over Querrey, and reached two additional ATP finals to make his Top 25 debut, becoming the youngest American in the Top 25 since Andy Roddick in 2004. Opelka, 22, also won his first ATP singles title this year, at the New York Open, and reached two additional ATP semifinals. Opelka, currently ranked a career-high No. 37, is second on tour to John Isner in aces this year, with 871.

For more information, including access to player and historical Davis Cup records, please go to www.usta.com/daviscup, www.daviscup.com or www.daviscupfinals.com.

Follow Team USA using hashtag #TeamUSATennis on Facebook @USTA, on Twitter @USTA and on Instagram @USTA. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Deloitte is the official team sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.

 

Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz

Aces Power Reilly Opelka To New York Open Victory – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Gael Monfils beat Stan Wawrinka 6-3 1-6 6-2 to win the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Elise Mertens beat Simona Halep 3-6 6-4 6-3 to win the Qatar Total Open in Doha, Qatar

Reilly Opelka beat Brayden Schnur 6-1 6-7 (7) 7-6 (7) to win the New York Open in New York, New York, USA

Marco Cecchinato beat Diego Schwartzman 6-1 6-2 to win the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

SAYINGS

“It was an unbelievable week, a pleasure.” – Gael Monfils, after winning his first tournament in 13 months.

“I played four good matches here, I kept my level up all week.” – Stan Wawrinka, after losing to Gael Monfils in the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament final.

“I was able to play a great match and was always focused. I followed the game plan from the beginning to the end.” – Marco Cecchinato, who won the Argentina Open.

“Marco played a great match and deserved to be the champion. He didn’t let me do anything today.” – Diego Schwartzman, who lost to Marco Cecchinato in the title match in Buenos Aires.

“I think this one would be, especially also with my tennis I played, the nicest one, nicest victory.” – Elise Mertens, after winning the Qatar Open.

“I tightened up at the wrong time.” – Brayden Schnur, after losing a third-set tiebresker and the New York Open title to Reilly Opelka.

“Many people were telling me how talented I am. I know I’m talented, but talent without work is nothing.” – Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, at 56th in the world the highest-ranking Arab woman tennis player.

 

SENIOR BATTLE

In a battle of two veteran warriors, Gael Monfils won his first ATP Tour title in 13 months by beating his “brother,” Stan Wawrinka. “Stan is a part of this win,” Monfils said. “We’ve been talking a lot and practicing a lot. You’re my brother,” the Frenchman told his Swiss opponent. “This has been a good week for Stan and a good week for me. I hope we can have many more battles.” Wawrinka played in his first final since Roland Garros in June 2017 and subsequently undergoing double knee surgery. “It was great for sure to be in the final,” Wawrinka said. “I’m pleased with the way I played in it and the way I arrived to the final.” Monfils broke Wawrinka twice in the opening set before the 33-year-old Wawrinka leveled the match by racing through the second set. In the third, Monfils moved to a 5-2 lead and saved a break point before closing out the victory. “We have been practicing all winter together, and really for the past 14 years,” the 32-year-old Monfils said. “In these matches, it’s tricky to surprise the other. I was a bit tougher than him in the third set and changed the rhythm.”

 

STOPS SIMONA

Outclassed in the first set and needing an eight-minute medical timeout for back pain in the second set, Belgium’s Elise Mertens rallied to beat third-ranked Simona Halep and win the Qatar Open. “It’s a big moment for me, getting that victory,” Mertens said after claiming the biggest win of her career. It was Mertens’ fifth career title, but her first at a Premier-level event. She began by losing her opening service game and the first set in just 32 minutes. She also fell behind 2-0 in the second set, then, after breaking back, called for the trainer. After that, Mertens was the stronger player for the rest of the match. Halep, who played in Fed Cup last weekend, visibly ran out of steam. “I was really tired in the third set,” Halep said. “I couldn’t have the chance to win this match. … She deserved to win. She was stronger, she was fresher.”

 

SUPER FINISH

Italy’s Marco Cecchinato crushed the home-crowd favorite Diego Schwartzman to easily win the Argentina Open. “I was able to win the first two matches (of the tournament) the hard way, working point by point,” Cecchinato said. “I improved my level yesterday and I was focused today.” Or as Schwartzman said: “He didn’t let me do anything today.” Ranked 18th in the world, Cecchinato took just a little over an hour to capture his third ATP Tour title. At one stage in the match, he won seven consecutive games and won the title without dropping a set all week. The Italian has won all three times he has reached the final.

 

SMASHING WIN

After an electronic review went his way, Reilly Opelka slammed his 43rd ace of the match to top surprising finalist Brayden Schnur and win his first ATP Tour title, the New York Open. A qualifier from Canada, Schnur appeared to hit an ace to knot the third-set tiebreak 7-7. But the review showed that it was just out. Schnur put his second serve into the net to give Opelka his sixth match point of the night. And this time, the 6-foot-11 ((211cm) American followed with his game-winning ace. “That challenge honestly is probably the difference,” Opelka admitted. It was the second straight match Opelka hit 43 aces, making him the first player to hit 40 or more aces in consecutive best-of-three matches since the ATP Tour began tracking aces in 1991. Schnur had never won a tour-level match before the New York Open, having to qualify for the main draw. And he still almost won the title after losing the first set in 18 minutes. “I tightened up at the wrong time,” Schnur said. In the semifinals, Opelka and the man he beat, John Isner, combined for 81 aces, a record for a three-set match.

 

SERENA IN TOP 10

Without stepping onto a court for in the past three weeks, Serena Williams has moved back in the Top 10 in the WTA rankings. With Anastasija Sevastova losing early in the Qatar Open and Caroline Wozniacki pulling out of the tournament because of illness, it allowed Williams to move up one spot in the rankings, replacing Wozniacki. Sevastova, who was ranked 12th, one spot behind Williams, could have moved in front of Williams if she had reached the quarterfinals in Doha. Since giving birth to her daughter, Alexis, in 2017, Williams has played just eight tournaments. But she reached the final at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

 

STREET NAME CHANGE

A historic street in Richmond, Virginia, USA has a new name. The Richmond City Council approved a proposal to rename Boulevard after a tennis player. Henceforth, it will be Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Growing up in Richmond, Ashe was barred from playing on the Byrd Park tennis courts, which were reserved for white players only. Ashe went on to become the only African American to win singles titles at the US Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open. He was the first black player selected to the U.S. Davis Cup team and later was named coach of the team. He also was a well-known philanthropist who promoted education and equal rights. Ashe’s once-segregated hometown has an athletic center named after him and a sculpture of him. But earlier proposals to rename a street for him had been defeated several times before the recent 8-0-1 affirmative vote.

 

SHARAPOVA WITHDRAWS

Her right shoulder injury still won’t allow Maria Sharapova to return to action. The five-time Grand Slam tournament champion has withdrawn from next month’s Indian Wells Open, citing the injury. Sharapova has struggled to regain top fitness since returning from her 15-month doping ban that ended in 2017.

 

SLIDE ENDS

John Isner finally won a match this year. The top-seeded American in the New York Open had lost his last six matches before the posted a second-round victory over Bernard Tomic 7-6 (7) 6-4. “I definitely served very well,” Isner said of his outing. “I was down a set point in the first set and I came up with three aces.” Isner hadn’t won a match since last year’s Paris Masters. He lost all three matches at the season-ending ATP Finals and dropped his first two matches in 2019, including a first-round loss at the Australian Open. Isner, who needed six match points to down Tomic, reached the New York Open semifinals where he lost to eventual winner Reilly Opelka 6-7 (8) 7-6 (14) 7-6 (4). Isner and Opelka combined for 81 aces, a record for a three-set match.

 

SICK BAY

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has withdrawn from the Indian Wells Masters because of health concerns. According to Eurosport France, Tsonga recently told the French media that he has sickle cell disease. He told L’Equipe newspaper that it does not affect him unless he is flying. “When I fly, it takes me two, three days to recover, to be good physically,” he said. “It was just five years ago it was diagnosed. In everyday activities, it doesn’t stop me from doing anything. The 33-year-old Frenchman lost last week in the quarterfinals of the ABN Amro Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and is scheduled to play this week in Marseille, France, an event he has won three times.

 

SWITCH IN COACHES

Two weeks after winning her second consecutive Grand Slam tournament title, Naomi Osaka dropped the coach that guided her to the WTA number one ranking. Osaka said happiness was her motivation for firing coach Sascha Bajin. While Osaka refused to go into details about the move, she alluded that Bajin was a source of negativity. “I’m not happy around certain people,” she said. “Of I’m not waking up every day happy to practice and happy to be around the people I’m around, this is my life. I’m not going to sacrifice that just to keep a person around.” Osaka won both the US Open and the Australian Open.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Buenos Aires: Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos beat Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem 6-1 6-1

Doha: Chan Hao-Ching and Latisha Chan beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Demi Schuurs 6-1 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)

New York: Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies beat Santiago Gonzalez and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4 7-5

Rotterdam: Jeremy Chardy and Henri Kontinen beat Jean-Julien Roger and Horia Tecau 7-6 (5) 7-6 (4)

 

SURFING

Rio de Janeiro: http://www.rioopen.com/

Marseille: https://www.open13.fr/

Delray Beach: https://yellowtennisball.com/

Dubai: https://dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com/

Acapulco: http://abiertomexicanodetenis.com/en/

Sao Paulo: http://www.brasilopen.com.br/

Indian Wells: https://oraclechallengerseries.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$1,937,740 Rio Open presented by Claro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, clay

$842,014 Open 13 Provence, Marseille, France, hard

$651,215 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,828,000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

$250,000 Hungarian Ladies Open, Budapest, Hungary, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$2,887,895 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

$1,931,660 Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Acapulco, Mexico, hard

$618,810 Brasil Open, Sao Paulo, Brazil, clay

$162,480 Oracle Challenger Series, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Acapulco, Mexico, hard

$162,480 Oracle Challenger Series, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard

 

Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka

Why American Men Will Dominate the World Tennis Rankings

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By Emilio Sanchez Vicario

 

The following article was posted with permission by Emilio Sanchez Vicario, the CEO and Founder of the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy (www.asc-florida.com) He was ranked No. 7 in the world in singles and No. 1 in doubles. Follow him on Twitter at @EmilioSVicario and his Sanchez-Casal Academies at @ASCFlorida and @SanchezCasal

NAPLES, Florida – This past January, I prepared a chart for the International Coaches Institute, comparing U.S. and Spanish tennis. Over the last 20 years, Spain has been the world’s leading country in tennis, not just in the number of top players but also the prospective players to reach the top.

While I was working on the report I realized that something was changing. I was in San Francisco, sharing my views with a group of coaches, and they were quite skeptical about my explanation. The topic of my speech was the headline of this article – Why American Players Will Dominate The World Tennis Rankings.

Six months later my theory is proving correct, which is why I would like to share the figures found.

 

The U.S. has nine very talented 17-22 year old players, with rankings from 70 to 300; Spain has none.

The U.S. has nine 23-25 year old players in the top 300; Spain has five.

The U.S. has 36 players in the top 500, and so does Spain (36)

The U.S. has 10 players between 26-29 years old in the top 300; Spain has only five.

In one category, Spain beats the U.S. – It has 13 players over 30 years old, compared to two from the U.S.

 

These facts lead us to the following conclusion: While at the moment Spain is still ahead in tennis, with an aging population of players, in three to four years or maybe less, the U.S. will surpass in all categories and become the top country in the world once again after more than 20 years.

The trend of the last ten years shows that talented players excel and make the top 100 at age 22-23, and reach their highest levels of performance at age 27-28. The present generation of American players is so powerful that with their rivalries, role models and motivation, they could break the current trend and reach the top in just one or two years. Taylor Fritz, who is already No. 70 in the world, is leading the group, while Jared Donaldson, Frances Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka and Noah Rubin are not far behind him. Most of these players come from the USTA. However, there is also a great generation of college players like McKenzie McDonald. The future is promising for American tennis. Will this entire group emulate the years of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang or Jim Courier? We’ll have an answer soon.

To me, this is the best generation of the last ten years.

On the other side of the pond, Spain will have to work hard with the few candidates it has for players aged 22-24. As for the junior players, we need progress. Three of them have just reached the top 500. Will they follow in the footsteps of our great players? It’s a big challenge.

Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz