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Reilly Opelka expressed a viewpoint against voting not long after 18-year-old Coco Gauff urged her followers to exercise their right to vote in light of mid-term elections in the United States. Opelka laughed at those asking others to vote, leading to criticism from the tennis community. Meanwhile, fans lauded Gauff for showing responsibility as a celebrity.
Gauff herself voted this week in Palm Beach County, Florida, and proudly displayed her voting badge through a post on social media. Gauff urged her many fans to step out and vote, wherever applicable, during the mid-terms.
"Don’t forget to vote everyone," Coco Gauff wrote on Twitter.
Opelka, on the other hand, went in the opposite direction, further stating his belief that politics and ideology have no place in tennis.
"Imagine telling people to go vote," Reilly Opelka wrote on Twitter.
"Exactly! Politics and ideology dont exist in tennis.. or at least they didnt when I fell in love with the game," he wrote in another tweet.
Fans reacted to the same, criticizing Opelka for his comments, and many opined that the towering American tennis player's tweet was in a bad light.
"Embarrassing for Opelka to be shading an 18-year-old who isn’t afforded the same privileges he is," a Reddit user wrote.
"Coco Gauff is top ten in singles and doubles. Opelka is the ultimate example of someone born rich," another fan opined.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Opelka discouraging people from voting after American teenage tennis star Gauff encouraged people to exercise their voting rights:
Coco Gauff motivated to succeed at Billie Jean King Cup Finals after disappointing WTA Finals campaign
Coco Gauff did not make a memorable debut in the 2022 WTA Finals, losing all six matches she played in, across singles and doubles. After the disappointment of the season-ending championships, Gauff is highly motivated to get back to winning ways at this week's Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Gauff is also looking forward to being in a team environment with her Team USA teammates, something she misses from her days playing basketball.
“Texas didn’t go the way I wanted it to go," Coco Gauff said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post. "That motivated me even more to come here. It’s very rare tennis experiences a team atmosphere. I played other team sports like basketball. That’s the one thing I did miss from playing (basketball). The Billie Jean Cup is what brings you closest to that."
Gauff also reflected on her 2022 season, calling it her 'best so far,' before saying that she hopes to do even better in 2023.
"Obviously it was a great year. I have a lot of high expectations for myself. Overall, I think it’s the best year of my career so far...I hope next year is even better," the 2022 French Open finalist added.
