Reilly Opelka facts for kids
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Opelka in 2024
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| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Delray Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Born | August 28, 1997 St. Joseph, Michigan, U.S. |
| Height | 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 2015 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Jay Berger |
| Prize money | US $4,518,925 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 101–94 (51.79% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 4 |
| Highest ranking | No. 17 (28 February 2022) |
| Current ranking | No. 171 (6 January 2025) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2022) |
| French Open | 3R (2021) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2019) |
| US Open | 4R (2021) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 21–23 (47.73%) |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 89 (2 August 2021) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | 1R (2019) |
| US Open | 2R (2017) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | QF (2024) |
Reilly Opelka, born on August 28, 1997, is an American professional tennis player. He is one of the tallest tennis players ever, standing at 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters). He can hit very fast serves, sometimes over 140 miles per hour! Reilly has been ranked as high as world number 17 in singles. He reached this high ranking on February 28, 2022. In doubles, he was ranked as high as world number 89 on August 2, 2021. Reilly has won four major singles titles and one doubles title in his career. He even won the junior Wimbledon championship in 2015.
About Reilly Opelka
Early Life and Training
Reilly was born in St. Joseph, Michigan. When he was four, his family moved to Palm Coast, Florida. He started playing tennis seriously at age 12. He began training with the USTA in Boca Raton. Reilly gives a lot of credit to Tom Gullikson for helping him learn tennis. Tom was a friend of Reilly's father through golf.
Friends and Hobbies
Reilly is good friends with fellow tennis player Taylor Fritz. He was even the best man at Taylor's wedding. Reilly's uncle is a radio talk show host named Mike Opelka. Outside of tennis, Reilly loves sports! He is a big fan of Chicago teams like the Chicago Bulls (basketball), the Chicago Bears (American football), and the Chicago Blackhawks (ice hockey). He also supports the Italian soccer team Lazio.
Junior Tennis Career
Reilly had a great junior tennis career. In 2015, he won the Junior Wimbledon tournament. On his way to the final, he beat Taylor Fritz, who was the top-ranked junior player at the time. In the final match, Reilly defeated Mikael Ymer. He also made it to the finals of the Boys' Doubles event at Wimbledon that same year. He played with his partner, Akira Santillan.
Professional Tennis Journey
Starting Out (2016-2017)
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Reilly played his first professional ATP match in 2016 at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. He lost in the first round. Later that year, he had a big moment at the Atlanta Open. In only his third ATP event, he reached the semifinals! He even beat Kevin Anderson, a tall player ranked number 27, by saving two match points. Reilly kept up his good play with wins at other tournaments. He moved into the top 300 tennis players in the world. He then won his first ATP Challenger title in Charlottesville. This helped him finish the year just outside the top 200.
In 2017, Reilly started the year by playing in the Australian Open. He played a tough five-set match against David Goffin, who was ranked 11th. Reilly's only ATP win that year was against Jared Donaldson at the Memphis Open.
Breaking Through (2018)
The year 2018 was a big one for Reilly. He won three ATP Challenger titles, which are important tournaments below the main ATP Tour. He was the first American player since 2014 to win three Challenger titles in one season. He won titles in Bordeaux, Knoxville, and Champaign–Urbana. He also reached the finals in two other Challenger events.
On the main ATP Tour, Reilly made it to the quarterfinals at the Delray Beach Open. He earned his first win against a top 10 player there. He defeated world number 8, Jack Sock, in the second round. Because of his strong play, Reilly ended 2018 ranked in the top 100 for the first time. He finished the season as world number 99.
First ATP Title & Top 50 (2019)
At the Australian Open in 2019, Reilly surprised everyone by beating his fellow American and ninth seed, John Isner. This was his second win against a top 10 player. In February, Reilly beat Isner again, saving six match points, to win his first ATP title! This happened at the New York Open.
At Wimbledon in July, he had his best Grand Slam result yet. He reached the third round and defeated Stan Wawrinka. Later that year, he made it to the semifinals of tournaments in Atlanta, Tokyo, and Basel. He also played for the United States in the Davis Cup Finals. Reilly ended 2019 ranked 36th in the world.
Second ATP Title (2020)
In February 2020, Reilly won his second ATP trophy at the Delray Beach Open. He saved a match point in the semifinals against Milos Raonic before winning the final. After a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reilly reached his first major ATP Tour Masters quarterfinal. This was at the Cincinnati Masters. He earned his fifth win against a top 10 player by defeating Matteo Berrettini.
Masters 1000 Final & Top 20 (2021)
Reilly started 2021 at the Great Ocean Road Open. He then played at the Australian Open, where he lost to Taylor Fritz in a close match. In Rome, Reilly had a fantastic run. He beat several players to reach his first Masters semifinal. He eventually lost to the tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
At the French Open, Reilly reached the third round. This was his best performance at this Grand Slam event. He then won his first doubles title at the Atlanta Open. He teamed up with Jannik Sinner to win the title. This win helped him enter the top 100 in doubles rankings.
Reilly continued his success at the Canada Masters in Toronto. He reached his second Masters 1000 semifinal. He then upset the world number 3, Stefanos Tsitsipas, to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final! This was his first win against a top 5 player. Reilly lost to world number 2 Daniil Medvedev in the final. After this great tournament, he entered the top 25 in singles rankings for the first time.
At the US Open, Reilly reached the fourth round. This was his best result at a Major tournament. After this run, he entered the top 20 in the ATP singles rankings for the first time.
More Titles & Break (2022)
At the 2022 Australian Open, Reilly reached the third round. At the first-ever Dallas Open, Reilly won his third singles title! In the semifinals, he beat John Isner in a very long tiebreak. It was the longest tiebreak ever on the ATP Tour.
Reilly then reached another final at the 2022 Delray Beach Open. He lost to Cameron Norrie. These strong results helped him reach a new career-high ranking of world number 17. He then won his second title of the year and fourth of his career at the 2022 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. He defeated John Isner again in what was the tallest ATP Tour final ever! After this, Reilly faced some injury challenges and took a break from playing.
Return to Tennis (2023-2025)
Reilly returned to playing tennis in late 2023 after being away for about a year and a half. He had been dealing with a wrist injury. He played in the Charlottesville Challenger and won his first match back. After another long break, he returned to the ATP Tour in July 2024. He played at the Hall of Fame Open and won his first match in two years! He continued to play well, beating the top seed Adrian Mannarino. He reached the semifinals, which was a great comeback.
In January 2025, Reilly reached his first final since 2022 at the 2025 Brisbane International. He had a big win over top seed Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. This was his eighth win against a top 10 player. He then won his 100th career match! This helped him get back into the top 200 rankings. He had to stop playing in the final due to a back issue. Despite this, he started the Australian Open with a win.
Images for kids
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Reilly Opelka at the 2016 Citi Open.
See also
In Spanish: Reilly Opelka para niños
