Reilly Opelka is finally back! In an outstanding comeback today, Opelka not only entered the Round of 16 in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championship but showed that he was not ready to say goodbye to tennis. Seeing Opelka’s resilience in tennis, an impressed Frances Tiafoe dropped a heartwarming compliment, remembering the 26-year-old ATP star’s support for him at the 2022 Laver Cup.

Tiafoe was over the moon while watching his compatriot Reilly Opelka returning to the court with a victory nearly after two years. He shared a snippet from Opelka’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championship Round of 32 match on his Instagram Story and said, “Yeah, Yeah, the Big Man is back. What’s up boy? Two Years! That’s Tough.”   

Opelka suffered a hip injury in an unfortunate accident in August 2022 in the Citi Open. Revealing his condition after that injury, Opelka said, “I had a procedure (on the hip). I took a fall on the court and wiped out. It was very awkward…I’ll make a full recovery, there’s no big concern.” The ATP star planned to return in August 2023, but that didn’t happen due to another injury on his wrist. Last year, Opelka attended The Craig Shapiro Podcast and revealed how he plans to return once his wrist is healed, “Once my wrist heals up, I’ll hopefully be in the best shape of my life.”

Now, nearly two years after his hip injury, Opelka not only returns to the court but bags a victory against France’s Constant Lestienne 6-1, 2-6, 7(7)-6(2). Tiafoe couldn’t resist his happiness seeing the 26-year-old star making a promising comeback. The support is a two-way street between the two. When Tiafoe suffered public criticism on the 2022 Laver Cup tour, Opelka not just supported his friend but gave a befitting reply to criticisms that came his way.

Reilly Opelka backs Frances Tiafoe as the latter becomes a victim of public criticism

Opelka made his commentary debut at the 2022 Laver Cup after his initial injury. He covered the clash between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal vs Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Federer and Nadal won the first set but failed to pull off a victory, losing to Team World. Post-match, a fan stated that Tiafoe’s shots toward the iconic tennis pair were “a bit weird.” When Opelka criticized the page back, calling their claim “a joke,” the page responded by saying that they suggested Tiafoe not hit shots at Federer’s head at 100 mph.

Seeing this, Opelka dropped a sarcastic reply, “Got it. So next time Frances should be thinking 64mph FH right into Fed’s FH volley because it’s his last match.. cool.” The 26-year-old ATP star didn’t stop there and explained the actual incident that took place. “If you played tennis you would know that returning a 115+ mph serve from a lefty isnt the easiest thing to do. And most of the time the safest return is big down the middle. Clearly you have never played, which is why i recommend u take ur talents to pickleball.”

Opelka’s support for Big Foe brought an amazing instance of friendship among the Americans. The way Tiafoe cheered for Opelka’s return was nothing less than a heartwarming moment, showing the bond that tennis had formed between two people who came from completely different backgrounds.