Sports Stars Nowitzki, Montgomery Visit Dallas Challenger

They say everything is bigger in Texas. The tennis is no different and NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki and NFL star Ty Montgomery have taken notice. The sports stars visited the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, a prestigious $125,000 event on the ATP Challenger Tour, this week.

Attending his first tennis event at any level, Montgomery was immediately hooked. The star running back of the American football juggernaut Green Bay Packers was made an instant fan of #NextGenATP stars Reilly Opelka, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz, visiting the T Bar M Racquet Club on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Ty was really cool,” Opelka told ATPWorldTour.com. “Today was his first time watching tennis live and it seemed like he enjoyed it. It’s cool to have a guy like him in the stands watching and supporting. I remember just a few weeks ago all the Americans were going crazy in the Australian Open locker room watching the Packers against the Cowboys. Ty had a huge game that day too, scoring two touchdowns. We all watched it live from Australia.”

Cool having @TyMontgomery2 at the courts today! #GoPackGo #ShirtGame? pic.twitter.com/AFI0rghp6T

— Reilly Opelka (@ReillyOpelka) January 31, 2017

Watch Interviews: Opelka | Tiafoe

Montgomery, impressed with the games of the American teens, took to social media during their matches. He stayed the entire day on Wednesday, watching Fritz and Tiafoe advance to the quarter-finals and fellow Stanford University alum Scott Lipsky in his first-round doubles match.

A young king right here?? @FTiafoe it was a pleasure getting to watch you. Making me a tennis fan pic.twitter.com/IB7EBvcDKe

— Ty Montgomery (@TyMontgomery2) February 2, 2017

Got to meet and hangout with some super cool tennis superstars @Taylor_Fritz97 and @ReillyOpelka ?

— Ty Montgomery (@TyMontgomery2) January 30, 2017

Appreciate the love from @TyMontgomery2 in Dallas means a lot you coming out to watch last couple days enjoy Houston man #wishicouldcome

— Frances Tiafoe (@FTiafoe) February 2, 2017

Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks forward Nowitzki, a lifelong tennis fan and yearly fixture at the Challenger events in Dallas and Irving, watched countryman and close friend Benjamin Becker in action on Tuesday. Becker is a local resident and graduate of nearby Baylor University.