US OPEN

August 27, 2021

Reilly Opelka

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Right now obviously you're playing at a really high level. What kind of expectations do you have? The growth from a year ago, where do you see it in your game?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, I've definitely grown a lot in the last year. It doesn't mean that, you know, I'm not expecting to showcase it all in one week. The season's long. The way the sport works, we're 40 weeks pretty much. Your top 18 results matter, more than just one week, more than just four Grand Slams.

Yeah, I mean, I would love to carry my momentum through this week. But everyone's tough here. There's no such thing as a good draw anymore. I think it's been that way probably for the past 10, 15 years. Maybe in the past you would see some first rounds that weren't so close. Now anyone can beat anyone.

Q. In Cincinnati you said you still feel like you're maybe a year or two away from making a big run at the slams. Do you also feel like whoever you encounter in a draw, you can beat them when you step on the court?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, for sure. I definitely do. One thing that's nice is that I'm seeded this year. That makes a world of a difference. I think last year I played, yeah, Goffin, the previous year Fognini. Lost to Goffin, beat Fognini, tough four-set match. I was pretty tired after that. Physically at the time I wasn't ready.

I'm definitely much further along from that, but I haven't made a second week of a slam. I've got to test my body to see what happens with four, five three-out-of-five-set matches and see what happens. That's the only reason why I say I don't know if I'm ready. I'm not being negative; I'm just being realistic.

I think it's just another step along the way that needs to happen so I can learn more about myself. If I make the second week of a slam, come fourth round, maybe I'm tired, we meet with my team, Guys, we got to increase this, this, and this. By the start of the second week, physically I wasn't there. It's just a learning process.

I think I've got to get to that next step in order to see where I'm at.

Q. (No microphone.)

REILLY OPELKA: It's hot, but the hat helps, for sure. Yeah, the hat helps. Otherwise I couldn't see the ball if I didn't have a hat (laughter).

Q. What do you think it will be like with the fans back, 100% back? How for you when you step out on court does that, if it does, change things?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, it definitely changes things. I definitely don't mind playing without fans either. Of course I prefer it, but I've gotten used to playing without it.

At first it was a little sad. It's all about the tennis at that point. I think I got to really work on my mindset in that time. But, yeah, having fans back is a total delight. It's a treat. We've learned that. Especially New Yorkers. I mean, what better fans to have for our first 100% go than the local New York crowd? That's what makes the US Open the US Open. That's what makes sport in New York so iconic. That's why the Yankees are a legendary team, the Knicks as well. It's the fan, the fan base, the culture of New York, New Yorkers.

Q. From a year ago, where do you think your game has progressed?

REILLY OPELKA: Exactly a year ago I pulled out of the quarterfinals of Cincinnati because my knee was done. I didn't get much practice in from then to the US Open. Physically I wasn't able to go. That was only after three matches. Again, that was coming from the pandemic, not having match play.

It's come a long way from that standpoint, for sure. That's a tough one to judge. In a year's time I've improved my serve, my forehand. Physically I'm much stronger. Mentally I think I'm a lot tougher.

I would say it's a night-and-day difference. It just gives me more confidence, more comfort in my own skin when I'm on the court.

Q. You mentioned the mental toughness. You look at what happened in Canada, one match could be 50/50. You had a big run. What did you learn about that side of the game that helped you progress in that area?

REILLY OPELKA: It's interesting in this business. You never know when the biggest match of your life is going to be. As a kid when you're thinking about what your biggest match is, it's on a center court, tons of people. In that case it was on the back court, no fans, in Toronto, 100 degrees, super humid, down match point in the third round. You never know when the biggest match of your life is going to be. So far to date that was it.

I turned things around there. I bit Agut the next day, I beat Tsitsipas, played a great final against Medvedev. Masters 1000 final, my best result yet. I think just having an optimistic mindset is so critical. The sport is already as tough as it is. If you're not optimistic, it's hard to get through those moments, it really is.

Not saying I'm going to get through them every time now, but it just shows what even one moment like that, getting through one moment like that can do.

Q. Was that something you got in that moment, you realized you had to be positive, or is that something you had to work on?

REILLY OPELKA: It just kind of comes from when you're sick and tired of losing 6 in the third in big matches. You can't keep just going about things the same way. You get the same outcome. It all comes from having faced that, like, moment before.

I'd say it wasn't always like that, but I'd have to lose a lot of tough matches and learn a lot of tough lessons and face a lot of adversity to learn how to handle those moments better. It's really the only way. There are a few people that are naturally born with it. Roger has done great, Rafa. But there's only two, three guys like that. But you've got to learn. You've got to learn from the tough ones, unfortunately. We can call them the bad losses or the heartbreakers, but that's what makes guys better.

Q. (Question about the younger Americans coming up.)

REILLY OPELKA: I never look at age. I never look at it like when it comes to even Isner. Isner, I know he's older, but we're not in juniors anymore. It's not in Kalamazoo. That was a good excuse, you could lose to a guy, I was 16, could lose to an 18-year-old, 17-year-old. Oh, he's a year older than me. But that mindset goes quick. You're playing for one trophy. There's no age divisions anymore.

If you're good, you're good. Doesn't matter. Good is good. I don't think age has ever really played a factor in that. I think that's just part of it. I learned that lesson quick when I came on tour, to be honest.

Q. I'm going to ask you to look ahead a little bit. You were named to the Laver Cup team for the United States. What is your motivation for playing Laver Cup? What are you expecting from it and that really stacked European team?

REILLY OPELKA: Yeah, I mean, first of all, the Laver Cup is the Laver Cup. They've done an unbelievable job of making it so special. There's not many team events out there. They've capitalized on everything. They've built the dream event. Who wouldn't want to be there? That's a huge honor.

Anything that Rod Laver has his name on, Federer has his name on, it's a huge honor.

Yeah, I think it's tough. Team Europe is a stacked team. On paper they should win that. There's other factors that go into it. We're playing indoors, playing at home. 10-point tiebreakers in the third. Isner is one of the best servers of all time. Kyrgios is one of the best servers in the world. I'm one of the best servers in the world.

The format definitely makes it closer than what the paper will tell you, I think. We'll see. Like you said, they're a stacked team. Given the conditions, so are we.

Q. Your on-court mentality is so much more positive, no negative thoughts or outbursts, better than it had been. What is going through your mind when you have those frustrating moments instead of reacting or having negative emotions? Are you repeating things to yourself? Are you breathing?

REILLY OPELKA: I don't know. I've just become more focused on winning, I think, is all, just staying on top of that task. I think once you kind of understand that, there's not much room for anything else to creep in when you're playing against the best guys in the world.

If you're not thinking about what adjustments need to be made in the match or what's working well and what's not, you're two steps behind the other guy at this level, at the top level. I think I just got fed up with losing, fed up with not going where I wanted to be. I just kind of made some changes that came naturally.