It’s been quite a week for Reilly Opelka as he looks back on a very memorable few days at the Brisbane International event.
The warm-up for the Australian Open which gets underway next Sunday has been full of stories, with the American star providing some serious headlines.
Opelka headed into the tournament as the world number 293 having been as high as number 17 back in February 2022.
As a player who stands at 6ft 11in tall, injuries have taken their toll on Opelka but now under the influence of new coach Denis Kudla, there will be hope that he can kick on.
The most impressive win of Opelka’s week came when he stunned the world of tennis and knocked out Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final.
He then went and defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the last four before being forced to retire hurt in the final against Jiri Lehecka on Sunday.
The win over Djokovic is one that will live long in the memory, however, and the win didn’t come as overly surprising to Kudla who will now be working with Opelka going forward.
What Reilly Opelka’s coach was telling everyone before Novak Djokovic win
Djokovic losing in the quarter-final stage wasn’t on the bingo card of too many people ahead of the Brisbane International.
However, that’s what happened as Opelka turned back to the clock to play some of the best tennis he’s managed to produce in the last two years.
His performance didn’t surprise Kudla though who was telling people beforehand that his player was ready to cause a shock.
He told The Changeover Podcast: “We knew the percentage of him beating Djokovic was so small but then I was talking to him and his confidence and I was texting a few people and I said to them, ‘Look if he executes our game plan here, he’s going to win, he’s going to upset him and shock the world’.
“As we know know that’s what we did. It was the middle of the night and I was watching the match and I was so pumped when he won the match. Losing in the first round of a challenger eight weeks ago and now beating Djokovic, it just shows what can happen and it starts between the ears. He’s starting to believe.”
Opelka will hope to get fit for Australian Open
It’s never nice to see a player struggle with so many injuries and that will definitely be something for Kudla to work on with the American player.
Having been given a wildcard for the Australian Open, Opelka will hope that he can regain his fitness in time for the tournament beginning next week.
The 27-year-old hasn’t played at the tournament since 2022 when he was beaten in the third round of the competition by Denis Shapovalov.
Naturally, he will want to prove he can stay fit and mix it with some of the top players and beating Djokovic can help him achaive that in the future.
His fitness is a major concern though and it’s perhaps a good sign that he still intends to play in the Adelaide Classic ahead of the first Grand Slam of 2025 starting next week.
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