Leveling up: Life is good for UTR Pro Series champion Reilly Opelka

Despite professional tennis’ increasingly uncertain future, things are looking bright for Reilly Opelka. The 6’11” Palm Coast, Fla. resident hasn’t lost in a while.

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Opelka captured the Delray Beach Open title, where he defeated Milos Raonic and Yoshihito Nishioka in the same day. A doubleheader is a tall order for anyone, but it’s undoubtedly more difficult for Opelka, the largest player on tour. This past weekend, Opelka overcame his “Quarantine 20” and captured the UTR Pro Match Series title. He couldn’t believe how well he played.

“Honestly I was surprised,” Opelka told Brett Haber and Prakash Amritraj on Monday's edition of Tennis Channel Live. “I was shocked, my level was higher than what I was expecting.”

When I spoke to Opelka in April, he said his training regimen left something to be desired, and frankly he couldn’t understand how other players were training hard enough to warrant post-practice ice baths. But he was putting in mild work, focusing mostly on shoulder rehab and core strength.

Opelka was thankful for the opportunity to compete, as the UTR Pro Match Series gave him something to look forward to.

“The event was great, it gave us something to train for,” Opelka said. “I guess I was working a little harder than I thought I was leading up to the tournament.”

But the reason for Opelka’s on court success—aside from his often unreturnable serve and Floridian home-court advantage—should frighten everyone on tour except Alex De Minaur, who Opelka considers unbeatable.

“I've spent a lot of time on my return,” Opelka said. “I returned well in Delray and I returned well in Davis Cup. I’m much more confident in my return game. It’s so much more fun for me as a player to believe I can break serve. I’m not just focused on holding serve. It adds a whole other element to my game.”

This is unwelcome news for the rest of the tour. If Opelka continues to improve his return game, his losses will become fewer and farther between.

In the meantime, Opelka is simply enjoying his time off. He’s keeping himself busy collecting art for his new home. It was no accident Opelka set up his camera to feature a recent purchase from his favorite artist Friedrich Kunath.

Opelka has also been designing clothes for his favorite fashion company, Mulch California, whose hat he repped during the interview. The Mulch employees call him “the intern.” Last month Opelka donated 500 custom-made Mulch masks to his home city of Palm Coast. He was not about to let his people walk around in unfashionable face gear.

If that’s not enough for a 22-year-old, he recently designed a custom Red Bull ping-pong table for his garage, where he and his fellow Florida dwelling tennis friends engage in fierce competition. For professional athletes, things can turn on a dime, but right now, life is looking very promising for the world No. 39.