"Anything that Rod Laver has his name on, Roger Federer has his name on, is a huge honor" - Reilly Opelka on playing Laver Cup
Reilly Opelka believes that playing in the Laver Cup is a "huge honor" because Roger Federer and Rod Laver have their names associated with the tournament. Opelka will be making his Laver Cup debut this year but will not be able to share the stage with Federer, who is sidelined indefinitely due to a knee injury.
As the name suggests, the Laver Cup is named after Rod Laver. The event is, however, the brainchild of Roger Federer, who wanted to create something on the ATP tour like the Ryder Cup in golf.
The Laver Cup was born in 2017, and it became an ATP-sanctioned event in 2019. The format sees Team World pitted against Team Europe, with six players from the respective regions representing each team.
This year, Reilly Opelka is representing Team World along with Nick Kyrgios, John Isner, Diego Schwartzman, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime. And during his pre-tournament press conference at the US Open, Opelka was asked to comment on what it means to participate in the Laver Cup.
In response, the American heaped rich praise on the event, calling it a "dream". He also gave his thoughts on why Federer's association with the event gives it a unique stature.
"Yeah, I mean, first of all, the Laver Cup is the Laver Cup," Opelka said. "They've done an unbelievable job of making it so special. There's not many team events out there. They've capitalized on everything. They've built the dream event. Who wouldn't want to be there? That's a huge honor."
"Anything that Rod Laver has his name on, Federer has his name on, it's a huge honor," he added.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are naturally born with the ability to face adversity: Reilly Opelka
During his presser, Reilly Opelka was also asked how what he works on to improve his mental strength. The big-serving American replied that the continuous experience of losing close matches had played a significant role in toughening him up.
"It just kind of comes from when you're sick and tired of losing 6 in the third in big matches," Opelka said. "You can't keep just going about things the same way. You get the same outcome. It all comes from having faced that, like, moment before."
Opelka further pointed out that the process of improving his mental strength has not been easy, and that he has had to undergo "adversity" to improve. However, the American believes that some players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are born with the natural ability to deal with tough moments and come out on top.
"I'd say it wasn't always like that, but I'd have to lose a lot of tough matches and learn a lot of tough lessons and face a lot of adversity to learn how to handle those moments better. It's really the only way," Opelka said.
"There are a few people that are naturally born with it," he added. "Roger has done great, Rafa. But there's only two, three guys like that. But you've got to learn. You've got to learn from the tough ones, unfortunately. We can call them the bad losses or the heartbreakers, but that's what makes guys better."