If the Opelka last name sounds familiar, it is because it likely is. Brenna Opelka is the older sister of Reilly Opelka, one of the top professional male talents to hail from the United States in recent years. With her family’s strong ties to tennis, Brenna is now forging her own path both in her career and on the tennis court, creating a distinct legacy in a sport close to her family’s heart.

Born in 1995 in St. Joseph, Michigan, Brenna is the first child of George and Lynne Opelka. With Reilly arriving just two years later, the Opelka siblings grew up together with a tightly-knit bond, one that still remains strong to this day. After spending their first years as a family in Michigan, the Opelkas decided to relocate in 2002 to sunny Palm Coast, Florida. It was at this time that tennis was introduced to both Brenna and Reilly, as Lynne signed the two up for group lessons in their neighborhood. While playing tennis, Brenna took interest in other hobbies such as gymnastics, cheerleading and dance, as Reilly’s love never waned from the sport. Uncovering her true love of performing as she grew older, Brenna decided to put her tennis journey on pause after nearly five years on court, fully investing herself to dance in 2007. 

“Apparently, we both took a few tennis lessons in Michigan prior to moving, but Florida is when I remember first playing,” Brenna stated. “I practiced a lot and competed in local junior tournaments for a few years, but I never took it as seriously as my brother. I was also involved in gymnastics and cheerleading, but I eventually quit everything when I discovered dance. Ballet was my real passion growing up, while Reilly was all in on tennis.” 

Although Brenna chose to step away from the court, tennis remained a significant part of her life as she grew up, with Reilly beginning to shine. Quickly making a name for himself through his play, an opportunity came knocking for both Reilly and his family, as he was invited in 2009 to train full-time at the USTA Player Development Program in Boca Raton, Florida. As Reilly found success in the family’s new city, so did Brenna, discovering an incredible ballet school in her sophomore year of high school. With the full support from their parents, Brenna and Reilly went all in on their passions, fine-tuning their skills in their respective interests to prepare them for the years ahead. 

“My parents are the absolute best and would do anything to support whatever sports or hobbies we wanted to try,” mentioned Brenna. 

The decision to move ultimately benefited every member of the Opelka family, especially Reilly, who would find his calling and turn pro years later, prior to a fantastic showing at 2015 Junior Wimbledon. In this tournament, Reilly would go on to defeat the then No. 1 ranked junior in the world, Taylor Fritz, before taking down Mikael Ymer in the championship. By his side through it all, Brenna has always been one of the biggest supporters of Reilly, if not the greatest. 

“I never questioned whether or not Reilly would have a career in tennis,” Brenna added. “It always seemed like it was meant to be because he had this insane natural talent and dedicated himself to the sport from such a young age. And that never changed. I still remember the night he signed pro—my parents and I were there, and then a few months later he ended up winning Junior Wimbledon. Witnessing him play on that iconic court will forever be one of my favorite memories because it felt like the start of it all.” 

During this period of time, Reilly continued to find success at the pro level, while Brenna stuck true to her passion of the arts and attended college. Connected with the state that she now called home, Brenna opted to stay local, spending her time in university at Florida State. Brenna graduated from Florida State in 2016, receiving Magna Cum Laude honors and a degree in Editing, Writing, and Media. In her time as a Seminole, she was an active participant on campus, including working as a writer for a fashion magazine to help gain professional experience. Brenna’s dedication to her studies ultimately paid off following her graduation, as she has now secured multiple professional roles in the beauty industry, working in areas such as New York, Boston, and now Los Angeles.

As she built a successful career for herself, Brenna felt a calling back to tennis with the desire to take up another hobby aside from work. 

“I always knew about the USTA Adult Leagues because my mom played them when I was growing up in Florida,” Brenna shared. “When I moved to Los Angeles three years ago, I wanted to give it another go. I played live ball for about a year before joining a USTA team in the fall of 2023 with one of my friends.”

Following her hiatus, Brenna stepped back on the court in 2023 as a member of the LA JBees, a team playing in a women’s doubles league at the 3.0 level. Re-discovering her passion for tennis and competition, Brenna was hooked on league play, finding joys in re-learning aspects of the sport and the ability to create lasting friendships with members of her team. Following her doubles stint in the fall, Brenna has fully immersed herself in tennis throughout 2024, joining multiple teams competing in mixed doubles, women’s singles, women’s Tri-Level and women’s doubles. While playing with multiple teams, Brenna has remained loyal to the JBees, taking on an integral role as a co-captain alongside Elaine Low. Through league tennis, Brenna has unveiled what both the sport and USTA provide to communities all across the states. 

“There’s so much to love about league tennis! I’m beyond grateful for the friendships that I’ve made on my team—they’re the most supportive and fun group of girls, and we never would’ve met if it hadn’t been for tennis,” discussed Brenna. “Our team is incredibly lucky to work so closely with Michelle Kramer, who’s one of the amazing LA league coordinators, and our coach, Jonathan. I also love that league gives us an opportunity to play real matches—I love the competition.”

In her first year of playing competitively in adult leagues, Brenna has accomplished what most players find to be a truly difficult feat, a Sectionals title as both a captain and a player. During the first weekend of 18 & Over 3.0 Sectionals this summer, the JBees went undefeated throughout their share of matches, taking down teams from the areas of San Diego, San Fernando Valley, Ventura and Orange County, With the team’s victory, the JBees punched their tickets to the 2024 3.0 National Championships, which will take place this October at the Barnes Tennis Center. Now, Brenna proudly carries a championship victory of her own to add to the Opelka family legacy.

“I’m still smiling over our Sectionals win,” commented Brenna. “It was beyond rewarding, and honestly so unexpected! I knew we had a chance because we have a strong team, but this was my first time playing at sectionals and competing against the best of SoCal. Our only goal that weekend was to play our game and have fun. There was no real pressure. We took it one match at a time, cheered each other on, and tried not to get ahead of ourselves. I’m so so proud of everyone on the team and I can’t wait to do it all again at Nationals in San Diego!”

Advising those interested in league play, Brenna emphasized the benefits of joining a team with a friend. She acknowledged that skill development can be challenging for beginners, but highlighted the wealth of resources available within leagues to help improve one’s game. She added how it is also important to remember that new or returning players are not alone in their immediate struggles on court, as many team members and league participants face similar challenges.

“I definitely recommend joining with a friend! I was very intimidated to play on a team, but it was so much fun going into this together,” shared Brenna. “I think technique is the most challenging aspect of this sport at the beginning, because it takes time to adjust to the right motions, grips, and timing. You have to be patient and you have to keep showing up. I feel lucky that I had the foundations and muscle memory from childhood, but it was still frustrating when I got back into tennis and could barely keep the ball in the court.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of Brenna’s tennis journey has been team practices. Witnessing the weekly progress of both her own and her teammates’ skills, while working towards the goal of winning a Sectionals and ultimately a Nationals title, has been deeply inspiring for her.

“Our weekly practices are the highlight of my week,” added Brenna. “It’s my moment to disconnect and de-stress from everything else going on because I have to just focus on hitting the ball. I also love catching up with my team and seeing how much we’ve progressed over the last year together. It’s been very rewarding.”

As for Brenna and Reilly, their bond is still stronger than ever today. With Brenna living in LA and Reilly traveling constantly, they often find each other in different time zones. While not the most ideal situation for their communication, the two always find time for each other, and always make efforts to see each other when close by. With Brenna picking up tennis again and Reilly re-entering the pro circuit not too long ago following an injury, the duo shares more similarities in the sport than many realize. Even more than tennis, Brenna and Reilly still bond over shared interests, especially the arts. Pushing each other to be the best versions of themselves, the Opelka siblings are each other’s biggest cheerleaders, and are integral parts of each other’s successes. 

“Reilly and I have a great relationship! We actually have a lot of common interests outside of tennis. In his free time, he’s very involved in the art and fashion world, and he’s very knowledgeable— I’m constantly learning from him,” stated Brenna. “It’s kind of surreal to be in the stands or in Reilly’s box as he plays in the tournaments we grew up watching on tv as young kids. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to London, Paris, Madrid, and all over the U.S. with my family to cheer him on. There’s nothing better than seeing someone like him, who’s worked so hard for this, achieving his dreams. I’m so proud of Reilly and I’m so happy to see him back on the tour after being out on injury the past two years.”

Looking to the future, Brenna plans to continue her involvement in USTA SoCal leagues, focus on growing in her career, and keep finding happiness in life. As for now, Brenna is enjoying living in the moment, building lasting relationships and creating memories with the people she cares about most. When Brenna is not at work or on the court, you can find her at the beach, working out, and catching up with her friends.