“It was nice to be back. It felt like longer than two years,” said Reilly Opelka after playing his first match in two years. The 26-year-old American had been sidelined due to surgeries on his hip and wrist. However, he made a strong comeback at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, advancing to the quarterfinals. Finally, there is something to celebrate for the former world number 17. At one point he even thought of retiring from the sport–what drove him to consider such a drastic decision?

Before this tournament, Reilly Opelka last played an ATP match at the 2022 Citi Open in Washington. During his prolonged absence, he underwent hip surgery to remove what he described as “a tumorous growth” and had two wrist surgeries. A benign tumor had developed in his hip capsule, frequently slipping into his hip joint. Recalling those painful moments, Opelka said, “The tumor moved around and it stuck in my joint and I literally couldn’t move my leg.”

Bryan Kelly, an orthopedic hip surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery, performed the operation on Reilly Opelka. The tennis star further explained, “We were delaying surgery for so long, and then a couple of pieces broke off, and literally couldn’t walk when I woke up. They’d inject it with a fluid and I could walk around and my leg could move again. But pieces had broken off and there were fragments in my hip joint.” Reflecting on those harrowing moments, Opelka noted that it could have caused further damage. Fortunately, with the help of a skilled surgeon, he felt his hip was almost like “150 percent.”

Then, six months after his hip surgery, Opelka faced wrist issues. This time, his wrist surgery went awry, leading to multiple complications with his right arm—the very arm that powers his 150 mph serve. Opelka felt he encountered a poor surgeon, resulting in an infection and severe pain that prevented him from sleeping. He needed a second surgery to correct the issues. Over the past two years, Opelka endured many hardships. How does he view these events that posed a serious threat to his career?

“It’s part of sport” – Reilly Opelka shares his thoughts on his prolonged absence due to injuries

Opelka’s long absence from competitive tennis taught him a valuable lesson—there’s more to life than just tennis. “No one wants to be injured for that long a time. But I was better equipped to handle it than most,” he said. There was a time when he couldn’t move his arm for six months after the surgery.

However, he has said that his arms feel quite fine now and even his hip “feels amazing.” The tennis world is well aware of his capabilities, and all he wants now is to stay healthy for the rest of the season. Reflecting on injuries in sports, Opelka added, “It is what it is. It’s part of sports.” He feels fortunate to be able to pick up where he left off. He will next face Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. Do you think he can advance further in this tournament?