"It's nice having them around just to hang out with but they don't push me more than Medvedev or Tsitsipas or one of those guys" - Reilly Opelka on the ever-growing American contingent on the ATP tour
Ahead of his campaign at the Citi Open, Reilly Opelka is happy to see a lot of American players in the top 50 of the ATP singles rankings. However, the lanky 24-year-old added that he's not looking to feed off his compatriots in an individual sport.
Taylor Fritz (12) and Opelka (17) lead a group of eight American men in the top 50 of the ATP rankings. The others are Frances Tiafoe (27), Maxime Cressy (32), John Isner (33), Tommy Paul (34), Jenson Brooksby (37) and Mckenzie McDonald (48). Marcos Giron (53) and Sebastian Korda (54) lead a group of six other American men in the top 100.
Lights, Camera, Action 📸
DC just brings out those big 🤗
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When asked if he feeds off the success of his compatriots, Opelka replied in the negative, saying that he's happy to hang out with some of his friends on tour. He doesn't feel pushed by any of them, and that goes both ways, added the American.
"I don't feed off it at all," said Opelka in a press conference ahead of his Citi Open campaign. "Why should I? It's not a competition. It's an international sport. I don't feed off of what they're doing. I don't feed off of how many we have in the top 50. It's an individual international sport."
"I mean, it's nice having them around just to hang out with. I feel as long as we have got them in the top hundred, top 50, just to have some friends on tour, that's all I care about. I don't look at it any other way. They don't push me more than Medvedev or Tsitsipas or one of those guys. It's the same."
"I definitely think I have top 10 potential" - Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka has had a successful 2022 campaign, winning 20 of his 34 matches and racking up two titles.
After making the third round at the Australian Open, the American clinched his first title of the year - third overall - in Dallas, beating compatriot Jenson Brooksby in the final.
He lost to Cameron Norrie in the Delray Beach final a week later but won multiple titles for the first time in a season when he trumped John Isner in the Houston title match. It was Opelka's first title on clay.
Reilly Opelka won the longest tiebreaker in ATP Tour history for a straight-sets win over John Isner at the Dallas Open.
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Currently ranked 17th in the world, Opelka thinks he has the game to break into the top 10. However, he added that things can be difficult to predict considering the imponderables - myriad tournaments and surfaces players need to negotiate during the year.
"Yeah, I definitely think I have top 10 potential. I think I have top 10 potential. (But) it's hard to predict. I think it's actually almost impossible to predict a top 10 guy. A lot can happen. There's a lot of different surfaces, a lot of different conditions throughout the year that factor that."
Opelka opens his Citi Open campaign on Wednesday.