Reilly Opelka shocked the Australian crowds at the Brisbane International by beating Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final of the first tournament of the year. Opelka, a 27-year-old from Florida, currently ranked 293 in the ATP rankings, beat Djokovic, who was aiming to win his 100th tour title as a “warm-up” for the Australian Open.
But Opelka really didn’t give Nole a chance, winning 7-6(6), 6-3 in their first match together. Opelka, whose best ranking position was 17 in February 2022, has now achieved eight wins over players ranked in the top 10, including Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021, and now Djokovic, who is seventh.
Reilly Opelka is also huge, by the way: he is 2.11 m tall.
Reilly Opelka had to play “more freely and take more risks” to resist Djokovic
Speaking after the match, as quoted by ATP Tour websiteOpelka said he had to play “more freely and take more risks” to beat “the greatest tennis player the sport has ever seen.” “The reality is we have nothing to lose by coming against him, he is the greatest player of all time. If you play at your normal level or even a little above your normal level, he will win.”
Opelka has won four ATP singles titles and one doubles title, as well as junior Wimbledon. Brisbane International 2025 will be their first semi-final since Newport in 2023, after barely playing in 2023 and 2024 due to injuries.
“It’s been difficult, a lot of doubts,” Opelka said. “I watched Novak become the greatest during my two-year hiatus. You wonder what Novak would do in my place. That’s the impact he had on the sport. I kept the cape when I was on crutches and I just hoped that I would have another chance here like tonight.”
