“They’re on their way out, but it’s crazy, it’s all I’ve known, it’s all most of us have known; curious to see what it is like" - Reilly Opelka on life after the retirement of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic
Reilly Opelka is looking forward to how the ATP tour will cope with the eventual retirement of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, remarking that he is curious to see how the sport adapts itself to the void left by the fabled 'Big-3.'
Having lived his entire life under the shadow of the aforementioned trio, just like every men's player who turned professional in the last two decades, Opelka reckons the sport will benefit from the slew of winners who are bound to crop up in the absence of 'Big-3' dominance.
Speaking in a recent interview with Red Bull, the World No. 26 remarked that tennis could use more attention from fans from different countries once Federer, Nadal and Djokovic hang up their racquets.
Gap between first and last major won
Nadal: 17 years (2005-2022)
Federer: 15 years (2003-2018)
Djokovic: 14 years (2008-2022)
Longevity 🐐 https://t.co/6erFEtcN05
The American believes it will be more interesting, since the Grand Slam triumph of a player like Stefanos Tsitsipas or Matteo Berrettini could pave the way for all of Greece or Italy to become obsessed with tennis.
“They’re on their way out, but it’s crazy. It’s all I’ve known, it’s all most of us have known. I’m curious to see what it is like. [The list of winners] will be more spread out and I think it will help the sport. It will bring more attention to more countries," Reilly Opelka said. "All of Greece is going to watch tennis once [Stefanos] Tsitsipas wins a Slam, and all of Italy is going to be following it when Matteo [Berrettini] wins one. I think it will more exciting.”
88% (377-51)
83.7% (453-88)
83.1% (754-153)
Nadal, Djokovic and Federer's particular win rates (%)
vs. younger players
🇷🇸 88% (377-51)
🇪🇸 83.7% (453-88)
🇨🇭 83.1% (754-153)
vs. older
🇪🇸 83.1% (610-124)
🇷🇸 80.5% (635-153)
🇨🇭 80.2% (497-122)
vs. left-handed
🇪🇸 87.6% (114-16)
🇨🇭 78.1% (132-37)
🇷🇸 76.3% (129-40) https://t.co/9wuvmDRyKy
The 24-year-old also talked about the difficulties of playing tournaments around the year, stating that it was important to find the right balance without overworking one's mind or body. However, the 24-year-old admitted that having such an attitude was difficult when the results weren't going their way, adding that a poor string of results could very easily mess up the mental health of players.
“Every time you’re training to be fit for a whole year of tennis, then your mind and body are getting destroyed. It’s always finding the right balance—that’s the key to everything in life, but especially in one-on-one sports. When you sacrifice everything, you become so fixated on one thing," Reilly Opelka said.
"When the results don’t come — and results don’t come around that often for so many people— it’s hard to have a balance. Unless you’re great and you’re winning every match, it’s so easy to see how your mind can get screwed up," he added.
"Winning is always the ultimate high; as a competitor, as someone who plays a one-on-one sport especially, tennis is the ultimate meritocracy" - Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka touched on his early days of playing tennis during the interview, revealing that he was good enough when he was just nine or 10 years old to play against much older kids. While he admitted that he was a top-10 player during his teenage years, the World No. 26 remained adamant that he was no prodigy like some other players.
“I fell in love with tennis when I was a young age. I won a lot and when I was 9 or 10, I was playing up in the 14s, maybe even the 16s to get some better competition," Reilly Opelka said. "I was always a Top-10 guy in the country from the age of 12 to 18. But I was never a prodigy or phenom, by any means.”
The 24-year-old went on to declare tennis the "ultimate meritocracy," noting that no other sport gave that sense of individual brilliance like tennis. Winning, therefore, gave such a rush to the American ace, irrespective of the size of the tournament or opponent.
“Winning is always the ultimate high. As a competitor, as someone who plays a one-on-one sport especially, tennis is the ultimate meritocracy. It really is. It’s one-on-one and you really feel it all," Reilly Opelka said. "You take it all on your own, for better or worse—that’s why you get such a significant high, no matter the size of the tournament or the match. It’s a rush. I don’t think it will ever stop. That’s what makes it hard to stop.”