26yo Reilly Opelka is back. Beats Mackie McDonald 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals in Newport, his first ATP tournament in two years. 27 aces today 14th career semifinal 1st on grass 1st since april 2022
"I totally definitely did": Reilly Opelka reveals considering retirement during fitness concerns
ATPFriday, 19 July 2024 at 15:10
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.
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