"I totally definitely did": Reilly Opelka reveals considering retirement during fitness concerns

America’s Reilly Opelka has revealed his struggles with fitness concerns and how he had a bad experience with one of the doctors. The 26-year-old recently returned to court after spending nearly two years on the sidelines because of fitness struggles. He first nearly spent 12 months on the sidelines after getting injured during an ATP 500 event in Washington. He returned briefly in 2023 to Charlottesville, where he played just one match and was again sidelined for another 12 months.

Opelka was recently quoted in a report about how he dealt with problems off the court. He spoke about how one doctor helped him with the treatment, whereas the other messed it up, which ended up costing him more time off the court.

“The tumor moved around and it stuck in my joint and I literally couldn’t move my leg,” he said. “We were delaying surgery for so long and then a couple of pieces broke off and literally couldn’t walk when I woke up. They’d inject it with a fluid and I could walk around and my leg could move again. I saw an unbelievable surgeon. I can’t believe how good he was. My hip was 150 percent. [Then] I saw a bad surgeon. She messed up on the first one. It got infected. I was in excruciating pain. I couldn’t sleep at night, had pain down my arm and hand. I needed a second surgery and that caused problems after a cast on my arm led to nerve issues.”

Opelka, who is currently taking part in the Hall of Fame Open, also spoke about how he has felt after returning to the court and explained that the best part for him has been just to stay ‘out there’ on the court, something he missed. “Just being out there, that was the best part. There was a moment where I wasn’t sure if that would happen again.”

Opelka further talked about how he seriously considered retiring from the sport during his time of dealing with injury and also explained that more than anything else, his main objective is to stay ‘healthy’. “I totally definitely did [think of retiring],” he said. “My goal is to stay healthy. I want to complete an entire season like a couple of years ago. That’s the main goal now,"

Opelka booked his place in the competition's semifinal after beating Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinal with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. He will now face Alex Michelsen who cemented his spot in the last-four after beating Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets with a score 6-4, 6-4.