The 2026 ATP season is now well up and running, with various tournaments in Australia kicking off the action.
Carlos Alcaraz won’t play until the Australian Open, along with Jannik Sinner, but many of their ATP rivals have already started their seasons.
The Brisbane International is now reaching its latter stages, with the Adelaide International arriving shortly.
Novak Djokovic is out of the Adelaide International, but many other ATP stars will play at the tournament in a bid to prepare for the Australian Open.
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Reilly Opelka hits 44 aces in Brisbane International defeat
One player who was looking to get up and running early on was American Reilly Opelka, who committed to the Brisbane International.
He beat Dane Sweeny in his opening match of the ATP 250 event, but lost his next outing against Kamil Majchrzak.
It was an absolute thriller between the Pole and the American, with the former eventually winning 6-7(2-7), 7-6(9-7), 7-6(10-8).
The match lasted just short of two hours and 30 minutes, with Opelka firing down an incredible 44 aces en route to defeat.
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Reilly Opelka emulating all-time American serving greats
Aces are nothing new for American star Opelka, who is a towering presence on the court at 6’11” (211cm).
He finished second for the most aces hit on the ATP Tour in the 2025 season, behind only fellow American Taylor Fritz.
Opelka hit 790 aces from his 49 matches last year, compared to Fritz’s figures of 867 and 74 respectively.
And it is another American who tops the all-time leaderboard, with John Isner having hit a huge 14,470 aces from his 772 matches.
| Rank | Player | Aces | Matches |
| 1 | John Isner | 14,470 | 772 |
| 2 | Ivo Karlovic | 13,728 | 694 |
| 3 | Roger Federer | 11,478 | 1462 |
| 4 | Feliciano Lopez | 10,261 | 976 |
| 5 | Goran Ivanisevic | 10,237 | 731 |
| 6 | Andy Roddick | 9,074 | 776 |
| 7 | Sam Querrey | 8,879 | 694 |
| 8 | Pete Sampras | 8,858 | 792 |
| 9 | Milos Raonic | 8,445 | 542 |
| 10 | Marin Cilic | 8,320 | 890 |
Ivo Karlovic and Roger Federer are second and third in the list respectively, but American trio Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey and Pete Sampras are all in the top 10 too.
It remains to be seen where Opelka will finish in the all-time aces leaderboard, with his 4,068 so far currently putting him in 61st place.
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