Reilly Opelka: A ‘Lone Wolf’ Returns to His Pack

After a four-year hiatus, 28-year-old Reilly Opelka is stepping back into Team World’s red threads, in-form and pursuing his first Laver Cup victories under incoming Captain Andre Agassi.

How it’s going
The self-professed “serve-bot” is finally healthy after enduring hip and wrist surgeries and competing in his first full season since 2021. Though the World No.17’s favorite surface is clay, he’s produced some of his best results on hard courts this year. Opelka made a strong start in Brisbane in January, where he upset Novak Djokovic and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard en route to the final. In Miami, the right-hander defeated Team Europe’s Holger Rune in the pair’s first meeting. In Toronto, he overcame Tomas Machac for the first time in three attempts. And in Cincinnati, Opelka secured his first victory over Alex de Minaur in six tries.

A four-time champion on the ATP Tour, Opelka also had success on grass, reaching the final at ’s-Hertogenbosch, where he overcame Daniil Medvedev to reach the semifinals. At majors, he advanced to the second round at every slam except the US Open, where he fell to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz at the first hurdle.

Laver Cup’s appeal
Opelka was enticed to commit to Laver Cup in part by the opportunity to work with Team World’s new captain Andre Agassi. “It’s pretty cool playing for Andre … pretty special,” said the Florida resident, describing the eight-time major champion as a legend of the sport. “Agassi’s one of the few household names in tennis and [has] a lot of aura. He pops up on my ‘Explore’ page on Instagram more than any tennis player,” shared Opelka, an admirer of Agassi’s iconic mullet. “I’m trying to imagine if I was a tennis fan back then and seeing this guy pop up on my TV screen for the first time would be the coolest thing ever.”

The American, who met Team World’s new Vice Captain Pat Rafter for the first time in Brisbane this year, said he’s aware of the history between Rafter and Agassi. “They went head-to-head with each other for quite a while,” he said of the duo. They competed 15 times between 1993 and 2001, which ended 10-5 in Agassi’s favor. “I think it’s pretty amazing that they’re on the same side of the court now,” said Opelka.

Looking ahead to San Francisco
The American admitted that he enjoys being a lone wolf. While he’s conditioned to be squarely focused on his own results, he happily morphs into a team player whenever an opportunity presents itself.

“You really feel the most pressure because you have … guys [that are] your competitors most of the year, guys that you have a lot of respect for because they’re top in the world and now, they’re your teammates for a week, so you don’t want to let any of your friends and rivals down,” he said. “The best thing I can do for the team is to win.”

Opelka, who counts Venus Williams and John Isner as mentors, recalled wholeheartedly supporting his teammates in the moments he wasn’t on court during Laver Cup Boston 2021.

“We got back [to] the locker room after the match and I was like, I feel like I played five sets,” he said. “You’re getting up [from] your chair every point, you’re screaming.”

Opelka has a long history with some members of Team World, having competed alongside Taylor Fritz and France Tiafoe as juniors. He likes Fritz’s chances on Laver Cup’s striking black court in San Francisco and cited his countryman’s 8-5 record against Alexander Zverev. “Fritz having a great head-to-head on him helps Team World a lot,” he said. “I think that’s a great match up since Zverev has been so dominant for Team Europe in the past.”

Opelka expects his teammates to deliver upsets under pressure to shine through at Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors. Unlike some of this year’s Laver Cup competitors, Opelka has spent a ton of time in the host city and has many friends who are locals. “I love San Francisco,” he said. “[It’s] one of the most important cities in the world — you think of what companies have come out of San Francisco and what it’s brought to the world is pretty amazing,” he said.