Reilly Opelka credits Gullikson twins for his tennis career, one of whom coached Pete Sampras
Reilly Opelka paid tribute to American doubles tennis greats and twin brothers Tom and Tim Gullikson. The Gullikson brothers were highly accomplished doubles players in the 1970s and 1980s, while the late Tim Gullikson also made his mark as Pete Sampras' coach after his retirement. Opelka suggested that the brothers were the primary inspiration behind his becoming a tennis player.
The identical twins played most of the doubles tennis of their respective careers with each other and reached the 1983 Wimbledon doubles final. After retiring a year apart from each other in the late 80s, Tim went on to coach fellow American and tennis legend Pete Sampras from 1992-95.
Reacting to a recent social media post reminiscing about the Gullikson brothers, Opelka declared that he would not have played tennis if it wasn't for the twin brothers.
"Wouldn't be playing tennis if it weren't for these two," Reilly Opelka wrote on Instagram.
Amongst the two brothers, the bigger contribution to Opelka's career came from Tom Gullikson, who he credited as being quite instrumental in his development in his early days as a tennis player. Opelka holds Gullikson in high regard and once revealed that his fundamentals as a player come from the 71-year-old, who "put a racket in my hand."
"Tom was pretty much the guy who put a racket in my hand," Opelka said in an old interview with Tennis.com. "My fundamentals come from him. I have been so fortunate to be around some of the best minds in tennis from a young age. Gully is unbelievable. He taught me everything"
Reilly Opelka will start his 2023 season after a 5-month-long break
Of late, Reilly Opelka has been preparing for the start of the 2023 season back in Beverly Hills, California. However, he will face a big challenge when he supposedly returns to the tour in January as he will play on tour for the first time in over five months.
Opelka last competed in the Citi Open in Washington DC back in early August, losing his second-round match to Nick Kyrgios. He suffered a hip injury thereafter and could not compete for the rest of the North American hardcourt season.
Despite his limited time on tour in 2022, the 25-year-old won two ATP singles titles, both in Texas, in Dallas and Houston. The towering American player dropped from inside the top 20 of the ATP singles rankings to end the season at No. 38.