Photos courtesy Keith Rhodes
Reiley Rhodes once dominated in soccer. She recorded stunning goal totals and even scored six in a game a couple of times. “She was phenomenal,” says Rhodes’ father Keith, noting that she played soccer for five years.
But everything changed at a Memorial Day weekend tournament in 2018. Reiley broke away from a couple of players for a breakaway before a defender caught up to her and knocked her over. Her face swelled up. Rhodes thought she broke her orbital bone. “She smashed her face,” Keith says. “It was really bad.” It turned out she had a black eye and couldn’t see out of it. So, Rhodes and her parents decided her soccer career was over and she started playing tennis that same year.
“I was just doing tennis as a hobby and not really taking it seriously,” says Reiley, 12, who lives in Annapolis, with her family.
Four years later, she’s taking it very seriously. The United States Tennis Association ranks Rhodes 12th in the country in the 12-and-under age group. Rhodes also is ranked 16th in USTA in doubles. She plays with several different players.
The 5-foot-5 Rhodes practices for three hours, five days a week at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park. On the weekends, there is even more tennis and working out.
“It’s considered one of the best in the United States,” Keith says of the Champions Center. “This is highly intensive. We travel all over the country. I have been her coach, mentor, manager, and travel agent. I feel like I have two jobs.”
One of his tasks is to get Reiley to national tournaments. She’s played in The National Indoor Championships in Boston, The National Winter Championships in Tucson, The National Claycourt Championships in Boca Raton, The National Hardcourt Championships in Atlanta, The Easter Bowl in Indian Wells, and The Orange Bowl in Orlando, all within the past year.
Her top performances included winning the 64-player consolation bracket in The National Winter Championships and playing in the quarterfinals of the Easter Bowl. Rhodes says her success is due in large part to her being a complete player.
“My plan is really great,” she says. “My back(shot) is one of my best shots and I play pretty good defense. I always get the ball back in play.”
Rhodes has set lofty goals for herself. “I want to play in the U.S. Open one day,” she says. “Right now, I am trying to get as far as I can in national tournaments and develop as a player.”
Her development has been rapid. She will be moving up to the 14-under age group this fall. “She is expected to rise to top 10, perhaps top five, nationally by the time she ages out,” Keith says.
Paula Coyes, a coach at the Champions Center, says she rarely coaches players that develop as fast as Rhodes. “It doesn’t surprise me with the way she competes and trains,” Coyes explains. “She has a high tennis I.Q. She never gives up, even to the last ball. It’s hard to teach. For her, it comes naturally.”
Keith loves to tell the story of when his daughter first tried out for a local tennis team. She consistently had problems returning serves. “She made the 16th spot,” Keith says. “I was worried she wouldn’t make the team. By the end of the season, she was playing number-one and beating kids, 6-0,6-0.”
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