What a rollercoaster season it’s been! From heart-stopping rallies to unforgettable upsets, the four Grand Slams of the year gave tennis fans plenty to cheer about. But now that the dust has settled, the focus has shifted beyond the tennis courts, with fans eagerly watching what their favorite stars are up to off the court. Enter the Davis Cup, and with it, the buzz around the men’s tennis team of the USA. While the on-court action promises to be intense, the off-court fun has already started grabbing attention. But making the most noise from outside the courts is the banter between Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul.

The American team engaged in an entertaining challenge, as can be seen in a video that was shared by the official Instagram handle of the Davis Cup on Wednesday. Featuring Mackenzie McDonald, Reilly Opelka, Brandon Nakashima, Austine Krajicek, and Rajeev Ram, the team was tasked with picking out rice grains from a bowl full of rice. Sounds easy? But here is the catch. The rice grains were supposed to be picked with a chopstick!

Believe it or not, the players did not fail to accept this challenge either. In the first round, Nakashima and McDonald engaged in the challenge, with the latter winning the game by picking 20 rice grains in 20 seconds as against ten grains picked by Nakashima. The second round witnessed Opelka and Ram in a similar battle, where the 27-year-old managed to outshine Ram by picking 9 grains as against the six of Ram. While the challenge seemed to be entertaining and gave some respite to the players, what caught the attention of the tennis community was the response of Paul. 

Commenting on the Instagram video, Tommy Paul wrote, “This can’t be real.” He probably tried to highlight his amazement over the kind of activity, or team-building activity, that these players have engaged in despite the seriousness of the tournament. But his comment did not go unnoticed by the participants of the challenge either. Responding to the comment, Opelka wrote, “Dude, it was so real.” But amidst the fun, the players are not forgetting their prime duty. 

Team USA was able to outshine Chile in the Davis Cup opener. While Opelka defeated Cristian Garin 6-3 4-6 7-6(3), Nakashima, the world number 40, beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-6(5) 2-6 7-6(3). They were also joined by the Olympic silver medalist pair Ram and Krajicek, who won against Matias Soto and Tomas Barrios Vera to wrap up a 3-0 victory. This highlights that despite the off-court fun, the players are equally motivated for the on-court endeavors. 

‘It’s been getting better,” Reilly Opelka talks about his improved performance

The fans of American tennis witnessed major heartbreak at the US Open, where two sensational Americans, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, lost in the finals of WTA and ATP matches, respectively. For now, they must be eyeing something to give them yet another ray of hope, and with the opening day win, the American team has given just that. Meanwhile, Reilly Opelka reflected on his individual game. 

“My serve is the shot that had been taking me the longest to get back since my injury,” said Opelka, who is playing just his seventh event of the season. “I didn’t serve well at the US Open, but every week it’s been getting better. I’ve been starting to get the accuracy back.“ I think it’s going to continue to progress and get a little bit better and back to where it was, because you know I think it was one of the best.” Remember, Opelka suffered a series of health crises in the past, including a benign tumor and an injured wrist. 

It would be interesting to see if more such off-court fun emerges alongside the on-court activities and gives fans more to rely upon and fascinate themselves.