ATP Brisbane – Reilly Opelka, what a comeback and what a story!

It’s only January 3 but we bet you that this hug will remain one of the best of the season. Novak Djokovic hates defeat. That of Friday in Brisbane should not please him more than the others, especially with the approach of the Australian Open, so important for him.

But let’s say that some are more easily acceptable. If you missed it, take a look at the match point against Reilly Opelka. After a final ace from the latter, the Serbian’s smile as he approaches the net when his eyes reach the face of his unexpected tormentor of the evening, shows to what extent he knows where the American giant is coming from.

August 4, 2022. Opelka loses in the round of 16 in Washington against Nick Kyrgios. In terms of ranking, at age 25, he was at the peak of his trajectory, peaking at 17th place in the ATP. He doesn’t know it, nor do we, but this will be his last match on the main circuit until July… 2024.

“It was hardhe admitted on Friday after his thunderous victory against Djokovic (7-6, 6-3), undoubtedly the best of his career, both in substance and form. There were a lot of doubts. I was watching Taylor (Fritz), Tommy (Paul), Frances (Tiafoe), Ben (Shelton) on TV and it was nice, it motivated me to come back.” The push of the new US generation, the one of which he was a bit like the big brother before getting off the train to join the infirmary, served as a spur. Just like the inspiration of a certain Novak Djokovic, towards whom he never dried up with praise, including on a human level: “During these two years, I also saw Novak become the greatest. I wondered what he would do in my situation“.

He had time to ask questions. First there was a hip operation, after a heavy fall and the detection of a tumor, fortunately benign. “The best thing that ever happened to me, he seriously confided on the ATP website during his return to Newport last summer. It was the simplest operation, minor in a way. I can bend my right leg more now. I had a tumor in there, it had to be removed, and it improved the shape of the joint… and my tennis“.

He then thought he would be done to draw a line under the end of the 2022 season before returning to business but then it was his wrist which acted up and, this time, the problem persisted after an unsuccessful operation. The trouble, the real one, has begun. Apart from a return for two small matches as a challenger in the fall of 2023 and an inevitable abandonment, he remained absent for another year and a half.

“When you have your elbow immobilized and the cast up to your arm for five months, without being able to straighten your arm, it’s complicated… Imagine, moreover, the same thing for a tennis player, Opelka said. I had pain in my arm, my shoulder, my neck, my nerves all the time. I traveled all over the world to see specialists for eight months looking for someone with a solution. I was in Germany to see a doctor. I saw a guy in Belgium, I saw a guy in Dallas, another in Atlanta, in Los Angeles, I went to Vegas…“

His return to Newport, when he had fallen beyond 1000th place (he is now 293rd but will make a big jump next Monday), resulted in a promising semi-final entry, and his summer was generally encouraging. But apart from two Davis Cup successes, Opelka then ended 2024 with seven straight defeats in seven tournaments.

Change of tone in Brisbane at the start of 2025. Three consecutive victories against Federico Agustin Gomez, Matteo Arnaldi and therefore, above all, Novak Djokovic. No one really saw this one coming. But he evolved at a stratospheric level against the Serbian, well beyond the well-listed quality of his service. The Yankee hit like a deaf man on everything that moved, with a rather incredible success rate. An almost easy match for him to play.

“It’s difficult to be in Novak’s shoes because the reality is that we have nothing to lose against him, he is the greatest player of all time, he reminds. So you end up playing more freely and taking more risks. If you play at your normal level or even a little above your normal level, he will win.”

So you have to try everything. And on Friday, Opelka looked like he could roll double sixes on every roll. It was his day and everyone wants to be happy for him. Even Djokovic, to a certain extent.

Although he is not yet old enough, Reilly Opelka has the wisdom of elders who have come a long way and have seen others. Hence his great calm, including in the management of his emotions in a moment likely to generate the most prestigious victory of his career. But when it came time to serve for the match against Djokovic, he didn’t blink once. “I was just focused.” He plays without pain and with pleasure. Victory is almost secondary. The main thing was elsewhere. Coming back to tennis, Opelka has already won everything.