US OPEN

August 31, 2021

Reilly Opelka

Press Conference

R. OPELKA/S. Kwon

7-6, 6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Would you just give us your thoughts on the match and how you played.

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, I thought it was a good first round. I started off with some adversity the first couple of games. He was returning really well, and then I started to pick up my levels. Match went on, I made some good adjustments and played really well, especially in the third set. I served great, which took a lot of pressure off myself.

Yeah, I mean, I thought it was a typical, routine kind of serving performance for me, and I definitely made him feel really uncomfortable.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you talk about making adjustments, can you explain what sorts of adjustments maybe you can make with your serve or are you talking about other...

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, everything. Yeah, everything. Just where I'm serving, like if I'm going to serve-volley, stay back. Everything. There are a lot of things I change as the match goes on. Returning, return position, yeah. Some strategic adjustments on where I'm trying to start my points off with my first ball or... Yeah.

Q. Do you find you're improving in that ability...

REILLY OPELKA: I have always been pretty good in that ability. I think everyone improves just with more experience. I think that's why I think the older guys, I think that's why guys peak so late because they are experienced. I think the more matches you play, the better you get at it naturally. I think everyone slowly improves.

I think I've always been good at it. But, yeah, I think I've done a better job at staying more calm and just focusing on things that I can do, when things aren't going well for me, focusing on what adjustments I can make.

Q. How happy were you just to get through in straight sets?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, it's huge. Yeah, that's really a luxury, you know. Everyone is good, so I easily could have been down a set there which could have changed the whole course of the match. Yeah, it's something that I don't think will happen -- or happens often in slams, that even in today's game because everyone is so tough.

That's a huge luxury I have going into the second round.

Q. How would you describe the way your level of patience with your own progress has evolved? Because every player progresses at a different rate. What were your expectations early, and how have you adapted to your rate of progress?

REILLY OPELKA: I think I have always just naturally learned to be more patient with myself. I wasn't always that way. This is talking age 13, 14. You know, guys would pass me, Frances when we were 14 got really good. I used to be able to beat him, and then he was beating me down pretty good. Same with Tommy Paul, and then, you know, I would kind of catch up and fall back behind.

It just happened so much that I got used to it. I had no other choice but to be patient with myself.

I'm glad I learned that from such a young age, because it was expected, it was almost normal. Even by, when I was 20, 21 years old, I dropped down to like 220 in the world I think when I was 20 years old. You know, that was tough, but I was still calm and patient. I knew that I would develop and still become a really good player.

I think that's just because I learned that lesson at such a young age.

Q. How did you sustain the belief when you were getting beaten down by some of your contemporaries?

REILLY OPELKA: I think from a lot of the coaches that I was around. My coach now, Jay Berger, he was kind of around, he was the head of men's tennis since I have been 12 years old. He's not anymore, he just works with me now. But, you know, he would always shoot everyone straight.

I heard him tell guys, Hey, I don't think you're that good, literally, or whatever. You got to work hard if you want to have a shot. He was like, You've got to dedicate everything you got, and even then you have a small chance to make it. He doesn't lie to his players.

And so with me, when I would kind of fall behind the group, he was always positive with me, like, Your time will come. Just keep getting better. Don't compare yourself to these guys. You'll have your day. He would always tell me that.

And same with the other coaches kind of at USTA, and I believed them, because most of them -- they shot everyone straight, and especially coming from Jay, that meant a lot to me.

Q. I want to ask you about breaks, whether you think there could or should be any update to the rule?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, I think it's a ridiculous -- like, I understand it's getting press because tennis is lame and tennis media sucks and they're terrible.

But I think Stefanos Tsitsipas, whatever, it's hot and humid, and for the media, the press that have never stepped foot on a tennis court in their life, have never been in the environment, couldn't last 30 minutes out in this humidity, in this heat. It's physical, our sport is. My shoes are dripping, they're leaking sweat.

To change or to go after, you know, two sets we're drinking, we're hydrating a lot, we have to use the bathroom. To change my socks, shoes, my inserts in my shoes, shorts, shirt, everything, the whole nine yards, hat, it takes five, six minutes. Then by the time I walk to and from the court.

You know, I don't know Tsitsipas, I don't know his situation. I doubt he's getting coached. I highly doubt it. Today, you know, I couldn't even take my bag in to change. I'm like, Guys, my clothes and shoes are in here. You can come stand in here with me if you want. I don't like being coached on court, that stance, I don't think we should have on-court coaching at all, but I strictly go to change because it's hot and it's humid.

If people don't understand that, then clearly they've never spent a day in the life of a professional athlete or come close to it.

Q. (Question about next match.)

REILLY OPELKA: I play Musetti; right? The first time we played in Rome, he had never played anyone like me. I think I'm a unique player. I don't think he had ever played or seen anything like that before. He was super uncomfortable, and I think he's going to deal with it a lot better.

Like the first time I played Isner even, it was foreign. So I think he'll deal with it a lot better this time. I think he'll stay more -- I'm going to expect a high-level match. He's a great athlete. He's got some really good intangibles, can create some unbelievable shots. He's a shotmaker, and he's real good.

I think he'll definitely use our match in Rome, and it will help him feel more comfortable in this match. But, yeah, it's not gonna change the way I play. He knows that. Guys know what I am doing out here.

That's kind of the beauty of it for me. They know what I'm doing and I know that they know, but I'm sticking to my guns, and if they can get by, too good. That's what also helps keep me calm. I have a lot of clarity for what I'm doing.

Q. You talked the other day about your body holding up for three out of five, and obviously you don't know how it's going to be until you actually do it. How crucial was that for you to get through in straights? You had a couple tough sets in the beginning. How does your body feel? You start thinking about trying to get it over in three as you...

REILLY OPELKA: I wasn't thinking that when I was out there, because it's out of my control, but if it goes three, four, five sets, I'm just trying to get the win. I'm not thinking about the week to come.

Yeah, it's great. My body feels good. I've won a lot of tough three-set matches this year. My body held up fine. I'm going to expect it to be good.

Even if I played five sets, I'd be a little bit surprised if it didn't feel good because I have put a lot of work in at the gym and I have trained extremely hard, and I have increased a lot of my workload specifically for five-set matches and back-to-back five-set matches. I want to be optimistic that my body is going to hold up.