Wimbledon is over, but the grass-court season continues at the tournament in Newport (USA). In one of the matches, American Reilly Opelka defeated Frenchman Constant Lestienne (6-1, 2-6, 7-6). Opelka last played at ATP level in August 2022 at the Washington 500. After this, he underwent hip surgery. In November 2023, Reilly played a match at the Charlottesville Challenger: he defeated his compatriot Tennys Sandgren, but withdrew from the second round due to wrist problems. She also underwent surgery later.
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The 26-year-old Opelka is a tennis giant with a height of 211 cm. Such impressive dimensions make the recovery process extremely difficult. And yet Opelka found the strength to perform in Newport and even win after a long period of inactivity. His eminent compatriots Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz excitedly congratulated him on his return. In the second round, Reilly will face another Frenchman, the reigning champion of the tournament, Adrian Mannarino.
“It was great. It took me a while to get into the game. At first I had a reception, but there was no serve, it’s strange. But then everything changed. It’s great to be back, it felt like I hadn’t been on tour for over two years. So it’s great to be back at your level. Of course, I’m still getting used to it and trying to adapt. Considering my condition a couple of months ago, this is a big step for me. I wasn’t sure if I would play this year. But now I feel good.
“Things will change every week, but I’m definitely going in the right direction. Of course, there will be some issues with my body. Let’s see how I feel tomorrow. I haven’t played so much in two years. Adrian Mannarino is great, he’s defending the title, he’s very good on grass. This is a tough opponent. I haven’t played someone of his level for a while, a left-hander, so it will be fun. An excellent test for me and a good chance to get back on court against a top player,” Opelka shared about his emotions after the comeback.
Reilly Opelka at the Newport tournament
Photo: Tournament press service in Newport.
Being tall in tennis offers certain advantages (hitting power, serving), but still, for those whose size significantly exceeds two meters, it is quite difficult to move around the court and act normally when receiving. Off the court, giant players also often fall victim to too much attention on themselves.
“I hate people paying attention to my height. My main pain point. I get stopped everywhere. In England this is the worst situation. They ask all the time. In England I wear headphones all the time. One of the drivers asked: “Do you play basketball?” Seriously, I was dressed in white, had my tennis bag on my back and was about to get into the car at Wimbledon. In England this happens 20 times a day, it is unavoidable,” Opelka argued.
At 211 cm tall, Reilly Opelka and Croatian Ivo Karlovic are the tallest tennis players ever to be ranked in the top 100 of the ATP rankings. Moreover, neither of them were top stars even in their prime. Karlovic was ranked 14th in the world at most, and Opelka 17th in the rankings. The Giants occasionally won 250 minor tournament titles, but that was all. In particular, Reilly took the cup in New York (2019), Delray Beach (2020), Dallas (2022) and Houston (2022).
In Grand Slam tournaments, Opelka’s best result is reaching the fourth round of the US Open (2021). A few weeks earlier, Reilly shone at the Toronto Masters, where he sensationally reached the final, but lost to Russian Daniil Medvedev.
An excellent serve periodically helped Opelka achieve excellent results. Although not always. Riley set a personal record for aces at the Australian Open 2019. He then served 67 times, but still lost to Italian Thomas Fabbiano (7:6, 2:6, 4:6, 6:3, 6:7). It is worth noting that Fabiano is 173 cm tall. He is 38 cm shorter than Opelka in his photo at the net after the match.
Reilly Opelka and Thomas Fabbiano at the 2019 Australian Open
Photo: AP/TASS
Opelka’s 67 aces are the fourth best in tennis history. He is ahead of John Isner (113), Nicolas Mu (103) and Ivo Karlovic (78). But it is important to note that the first two did it in the longest match in tennis history (11 hours and 5 minutes) at Wimbledon 2011, when there was no tie-break in the fifth set with a score of 6:6, Isner and Mahut then fought until 70:68 in games. Karlovich also recorded himself under the old rules. In the 2009 Davis Cup match, he lost to Tomas Berdych in the fifth set by 14:16. It is likely that if everyone played by modern standards, Opelka would be the sole record holder.
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It’s great to celebrate Reilly’s return to the court in Newport. We can only hope that the health problems don’t recur and that he can play for a long time. The worst-case scenario cannot be ruled out, though. During a nearly two-year break in his career, Opelka said he was seriously thinking about quitting tennis. Even now he hasn’t gotten those thoughts out of his head.
Reilly has earned $4.2 million in prize money in his career. This is not a cosmic amount, but it is enough for a normal life. You can invest in your business or just live off the interest on bank deposits. The tennis giant previously had sponsorship deals with brands Fila, Red Bull and Wilson, but it is unknown whether they continue to operate given the long period of inactivity. At least last year he also collaborated with Red Bull, which invited him to the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Reilly Opelka at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix
Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Opelka could prove himself as a tennis expert. During the period of injury, he actively spoke on various topics. In 2022, the American spoke out categorically against the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians from Wimbledon and stated that the tournament had become an “exhibition”.
“Discrimination and xenophobia are not part of sport. Sport is about meritocracy. When the best performing players are eliminated, the integrity of the tournament is undermined. It is about the competitive advantage that is gained by not allowing the strongest to participate,” Opelka said.
At the start of the 2024 season, Reilly defended Russian Andrei Rublev, who was disqualified from the Dubai tournament for insulting the referee.
“Minor league… The linesman should be demoted to pickleball immediately,” Opelka said on social media.
American Tommy Paul is now in the top 15 of the ATP rankings and is demonstrating great tennis. Tommy made his breakthrough at the 2023 Australian Open, reaching the semi-finals, where he was only stopped by future champion Novak Djokovic. It is noteworthy that it was then Opelka who helped him achieve success, who in fact became his temporary coach.
“Reilly did the analysis for me. In fact, he was my coach during the Australian Open,” Paul explained the reasons for his success.
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Overall, it is clear that Reilly will not disappear and will find something to do if injuries prevent her from fully resuming her career. She will also have more time to improve her personal life. Although, perhaps, in this matter she has already put things in order. Opelka has long been credited with a relationship with the legendary seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams.
Reilly Opelka and Venus Williams
Photo: From Reilly Opelka’s personal archive.
Opelka and Williams have been appearing together regularly at social events lately and exchanging sweet comments on social media. They do not officially confirm their relationship and only talk about the friendship that arose due to both of their passion for collecting art. Venus also gave Reilly a lot of valuable advice about games.
“I learned more from Venus than from any other active player. She is brilliant. Venus works completely differently than anyone else. The greats think differently. If it weren’t for Serena, I would be the greatest tennis player of all time,” Opelka said.
Perhaps Opelka and Venus are embarrassed by their age difference, as Williams is 18 years older than him. Or they are actually just friends, although some of their party photos hint at something more.
