"He's the greatest player the sport has ever seen": Reilly Opelka salutes Novak Djokovic as the GOAT after incredible Brisbane win

Reilly Opelka produced one of the greatest wins of his career but also in beating Novak Djokovic that has been seen as he played lights out tennis to dump out the 24-time Grand Slam champion 7-6, 6-3 at the Brisbane International.

Opelka has in the past spoken fondly about Djokovic and that continued after he took him down. He said at the net supposedly that he asked what Novak would do when he is playing whilst ironically playing him. But he said that knowing he had nothing to lose saw him produce the tennis he did.

“Yeah. He’s the greatest player the sport has ever seen. It’s difficult being in his position. He can scout me or other opponents all day long… the reality is we have nothing to lose against him. You end up playing more free. You take a lot more risk because if you play your normal level or even above it he’s gonna win every time. It’s tough in his position because he gets guys that roll the dice. On a day like this when a lot of things go my way, that’s how it works out," said Opelka who has spent the last two years on and off the court.

He spoke during 2023 with a similar viewpoint on the former World No.1 and that he is the greatest that has ever lived on the Tennis Channel Inside-In Podcast. “People like criticizing Novak. He has applied those concepts that he has in life like him having the courage to just take a stand, not play both sides of the coin like how his peers do and just face things head on is the reason why he is the undisputed greatest tennis player that has ever lived.

"He puts himself on the line and I respect that, part of it because the media has never given him a fair share because like I said, he doesn’t play into what they want so he’s the enemy of the tennis media. Most players are super grateful for him, he’s a pro’s pro, he really is."

Next up will be a real marvel for those who love aces and blistering serves and likely a long match as he faces Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the semi-finals of the Brisbane International.