OPTA Player Profile: Reese Sager
By Mike Holder: Reese Sager began training at Olde Providence Tennis Academy in 2016. She has seen her game progressively improve over the last five years. Tennisrecruiting.com lists her as a five-star recruit and the 3rd ranked player in North Carolina, 18th in the southeast, at her age. The 15-year-old recently found success winning the Girls’ 18 Singles Red Draw at Charleston (S.C.) Junior Championships. However, her success has not come without its share of adversity. Evgeny Slesarev (Director of Tennis Operations at Olde Providence Tennis Academy) reflected on obstacles Sager has overcome. “Reese was always a top-ranked player but has had to overcome challenges with quite a few serious injuries and setbacks. Two years ago she almost quit tennis due to a rotator cuff injury but she did not. Instead, she switched to two hands on both sides to keep the impact of her injury to a minimum. Not surprisingly, due to her competitive nature, she was able to return to National Levels a year