Reilly Opelka will be aiming to defend his last year’s title in Delray Beach Open, an ATP 250 tournament. Last year the US giant saved a match point in the semifinal against Milos Raonic en route to winning the second title of his career by beating Yoshihito Nishioka in the final.
“It was great last year. It’s a home tournament. I have been going to the event since I was a kid since I was 11 years old. It was cool to win an event that I used to go watch. I beat some really good players, and especially the last day was a really unique scenario that does not happen too much. I was tested a lot physically and I beat some really good players. It is definitely one that I won’t forget, since I obviously won the title, but also just because I won two matches in on eday and the conditions of it were pretty crazy”, said Opelka.
Opelka beat Diego Schwartzman and Matteo Berrettini to advance to his first Masters 1000 quarter final, but h was sidelined by a right knee injury.
“I really think my body will be great in Delray Beach because I have put in a lot of work and I have emphasised my body a lot of lot this off-season. I want to really prioritise going into the year 100 percent healthy”, said Opelka.
Opelka lives in Delray Beach and watched Sam Querrey beat Tommy Haas in 2016. He made his tournament debut in 2018, when Donald Young reached the final.
“I am excited to be kicking off the season at a tournament in my “back-yard”. I get a nice warm-up for Australia. I have not played in a couple of months, so it’s perfect”.
A difficult first quarter of the 2021 season lies ahead with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As far as Australia goes, I am not excited to be honest. I don’t want to stay in my room for 18 hours per day. I geti t, we have to do it, but I am not one bit excited. We will see how it goes. They have a crazy lockdown on us that seems brutal, but if that’s what it takes for them to allow us in, then that’s what it takes. My body has been a big issue, my body hasn’t held up well. I need access to the gym and to my physio and I am only allowed out of my room five hours a day, so I have to use this time wisely. For two weeks I am concerned with the lack of time and work that I will be limited to for my body specifically, for my knee, so it would be a shame if I fly down 24 hours on a flight down to Australia and I don’t get to work that much with my physio for two weeks. I don’t get to do the things that a professional tennis needs to do to be ready to compete”.
The Delray Beach tournament will also feature Milos Raonic, Cristian Garin, Hubert Hurkacz, John Isner, Vasek Pospisil and former tournament champions Frances Tiafoe and Sam Querrey. Andy Murray has pulled out amid concerns on COVID-19 and travel restrictions. “The field is incredible. They have a lot of really great players. You have got probably one of the the most high-level entry fields that they have ever seen. Isner, Querrey, Tiafoe have won it. There are three past champions, so a lot of guys that like playing there”.
