US OPEN

September 4, 2021

Reilly Opelka

Press Conference

R. OPELKA/N. Basilashvili

7-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: If you could, your thoughts on the match and a superb first week at the US Open.

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, I wasn't too happy with how I played. I think I got off to a slow start. I hit my forehand poorly. I think there's a lot of good things that come from that. I found a way to win in straight sets against a great player, playing slightly below my average.

I don't think I served my best. One thing I think I did a great job of was I came in at the right time and I volleyed unbelievably well in big moments.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How is your confidence growing as you get deeper?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, I think winning matches like today, not playing my best, is definitely the best thing for my confidence. Yeah, I think finding ways to win, finding ways to stay calm in matches, make the right adjustments quick, because you just don't have much time.

I think, yeah, walking on the court knowing that things can go south early, and I'm going to be calm because I've won enough matches now, I've made the right adjustments almost every time this summer. There's no reason why that won't continue to happen.

Obviously my next one's going to be tough, but...

Q. Next you face a player you had a very tough match against this year. What are your thoughts on the challenge Lloyd poses for you and what the keys are?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, he's tricky because, I was telling BG, he's long, he's a tall guy, he's very athletic. He can use his reach to his advantage returning my serve. He's got a great backhand. He serves well himself. Super lucky to beat him in Toronto.

Yeah, I mean, he was the better player in that match. Obviously he must have played well to beat Shapo the way he did today. Yeah, I'm expecting another tough one. It could come down to a few points if I play well. If I don't play well, it won't even get that close. That's just the reality of it.

Q. Earlier this evening when Novak was here he spoke about visualizing himself and having his hands on the trophy at every major that he plays. What is it like for someone who hasn't won a major, someone in your shoes? What do you visualize when you enter the tournament?

REILLY OPELKA: I just take it one match at a time.

Q. When you were talking earlier about confidence, does that ever happen with your serve and that aspect of your game, fluctuations at all with that, or is it more other areas of your play?

REILLY OPELKA: I mean, I think everything's always going to stem from my serve. Mainly I think the confidence is more like a mindset. It just allows me to be calm. I can walk on the court knowing things can go super south like they did today and I can still win in straight sets.

I think that's kind of where the confidence comes from, more so in my mind that I'll be able to put myself in a position to win. I'm not saying it will every time, but I'll put myself in a position at some point I think in the match, most of the time, where this guy will be uncomfortable.

I think that's more so where the confidence comes from. I'm not as uptight when I walk out on the court. I don't treat every point like it's the end of the world because I know I'll make the right adjustments.

Q. That sounds like something from the outside that would could change over the course of somebody's career. Would you say that has changed, that ability to have that thing? Is that a relatively new feeling for you?

REILLY OPELKA: It's relatively new. I've always been really good at knowing what the problem is, but sometimes I haven't been great at addressing it as quickly as I do now. I think sometimes it takes me too long to make those adjustments.

I've just played enough matches, I've learned enough from enough losses now where, yeah, I mean, I have a good memory, let's say, over the last two years of what's worked, what hasn't. I hang on all my matches. I really do. I like to revisit them.

I was thinking of some matches even on the changeover today, I remember this match here, didn't start well, you returned so well from that position that day. I keep those in the memory bank and they really help me out.

Q. The saga of the pink bag. Had you been warned about it before your second match?

REILLY OPELKA: No.

Q. What happened? What did you think of getting a $10,000 fine?

REILLY OPELKA: I mean, what a joke on the US Open to do that. 10K for a pink bag? C'mon.

The head referee was telling me you should have come in and had this thing measured. The ref just told me, I mean, I actually thought it was a different bag. We had that logo specifically made. We measured. It is too big. It was not the same bag I was using at the French Open. We made the effort to make it smaller. There was a mistake in production, I think, because in Europe with the conversion, with what was allowed.

But, yeah, I made the effort. The referee told me that it was too big and that was it. She said to cover one side of it. That was in my first round. Yeah, I just got slapped with a $10,000 fine.

I found out from you, actually. I didn't even find out from them, which is even more comical. Like Fritz said, I snapped a racquet over my knee, didn't get fined a dollar, and you bring a pink bag and got fined 10 grand. What a joke.

Yeah, I thought it was a bit harsh, a bit excessive. My job is not to measure logos. It is just not. My job is to win matches. I have bigger things to worry about. For the referee to tell me it's my job to measure a logo, no, clearly not. It's his job. I'm trying to beat Basilashvili and make the round of 16 of a Grand Slam.

Q. You didn't know about the fine?

REILLY OPELKA: Until you. Your tweet was how I found out.

Our prize money has been decreased for over a year and a half now but our fines have been increased. I don't want to point fingers out on other players, not trying to throw anyone under the bus. But there has been people that have gotten away with a lot worse with a lot less of a fine.

You want to take away our prize money the whole time? I guess they're making up for lost ticket sales last year, I guess.

I'd love to see it get donated elsewhere. We've had a few tragedies here in the States the last couple weeks. If they are going to take 10K from me, it better not go to a major corporation. That's my thought.

Q. You're coming in to net on a lot of crucial points. Doing that a lot more this year, especially this tournament. What is it that makes you decide to come in on those crucial breakpoints, whatever the situation may be? Is it confidence?

REILLY OPELKA: I mean, today I did. Like yesterday I didn't as much on big points. I stayed back on some big points. The day before I stayed back more. I was more confident in my baseline game yesterday. I was hitting my forehand, I hit my forehand much better against Musetti than I did today.

It kind of changes each match. When I'm not hitting my forehand well, I look to pick some more balls off at the net. Unfortunately today I didn't have the luxury to keep him guessing as much. He did pick up onto it. I have one of the best serves in the world. There's not much you can do sometimes.

Yeah, I came in on some big points today because my forehand let me down. I'm not going to hide from it. It let me down.

Q. More of a necessity?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, yeah. Today was. In this case it was.

Q. We haven't seen so many Americans going so deep in the draw as this year. What is your reflection on that?

REILLY OPELKA: I mean, I think it's just one week. I don't know. I think Brooksby is going to be a big second-week guy. Nakashima. I think Korda. I think the young guys are better than us, if I'm being honest. I think Korda is a hell of a player. Brooksby is brutal.

I'm curious to see his match with Djokovic. I think he can give Djokovic a lot of fits because he's just tricky. Nakashima is as pure of a ball-striker as there is. I think the young guys are going to be the guys to beat from the American standpoint. Yeah.