Sport, like life, is often a constant test of endurance, of blows, falls, forced pauses and unexpected comebacks. And in this carousel of emotions, Reilly Opelka has written one of the toughest and bravest stories in recent tennis.
The American giant, who came close to retirement, is enjoying one of the best moments of his career. On Sunday, as a reward or punishment, he will face Carlos Alcaraz in the first round of the US Open. A duel that, just a year ago, seemed impossible.
A pain that paralyzes
We go back to August 2022. At that time, Opelka began to feel persistent discomfort in his hip. What initially seemed like just another overload within the demanding ATP schedule soon turned into a physical ordeal. After undergoing medical tests, the cause of the suffering was revealed. The American had a benign tumor that had shifted and become embedded in the hip joint, completely blocking it.
The solution was surgery. He underwent a first operation to remove the tumor. But the process did not end there. Bone fragments had become loose inside the hip, which forced a second operation to clean it completely. Doubts, pain and uncertainty began to be part of his daily life.
From the operating room to despair
When he finally thought he had overcome the hip problem, another unexpected obstacle appeared in his path, in this case, the wrist. In an attempt to return to competition, in October 2023, he suffered a tendon subluxation. He underwent surgery, but the surgery did not go as expected.That second trip to the operating room triggered a series of nerve complications in the arm. What was supposed to be the solution turned into another nightmare. The months went by, the circuit went on, and Opelka watched on television as his teammates played the tournaments he missed so much. In a sport where absence is costly, time was running against him.
Rebirth from the bottom
But if Reilly Opelka has shown anything, it is that he is not made to give up. Although injuries took him out of the top 100 and left him out of the circuit for more than a year, the American never lost faith. Throughout 2024, he patiently rebuilt his physique and his tennis.
Little by little, he started to play more matches, gain confidence and climb the rankings. Today, Opelka is back in the top 70 in the world, ranked 66th, and most importantly, he feels competitive again.
The US Open draw has not given him any respite. In his return to New York, luck has handed him a high-voltage clash against Carlos Alcaraz, the tournament champion in 2022 and current world No. 2. It will be a clash between diametrically opposed styles. On the one hand, Opelka’s power and devastating serve against Alcaraz’s speed, variety and aggressiveness. But beyond the result, for Opelka this first round already represents a victory.
Read the full article here
