Returning Reilly Opelka makes recent ATP history win run to Newport semifinals

From rehab buddies to Infosys Hall of Fame Open quarterfinalists. During Reilly Opelka’s nearly two years away from the game, he hung out a lot with Mackenzie McDonald, a fellow American just two years older than him, who knows all too well about the struggles that come with a long injury layoff having battled a nasty torn hamstring earlier in his career.

“I just remember it was a rough time for him, and that was really nice of him,” Opelka recalled in Newport. “He came down to my house in Delray [Beach, Fla.] just to hang out with me for a few days on his time off, just to check in on me.

“I was fine, obviously. I was happy, I was just enjoying some of the time off at that point. But that’s just the kind of guy that Mackie is: He drove from Orlando down to Boca [Raton, Fla.] to come spend a day or two just to hang with me because he knew I was bored.”

The pair reunited in Newport on Thursday, fit, healthy and ready for a battle. Opelka eventually defeated McDonald 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to move into the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Open in Newport—his first semifinal in more than two years.

The former world No. 17 is playing his first tour-level tournament since 2022 this week in Newport, and, largely, has looked like he hasn't missed a beat—at least in one aspect of the game. The 6-foot-11 self-described “serve bot” struck 27 aces against McDonald, and a combined 80 in his first two matches at the grass-court tournament.

Opelka was given a wild card to enter the historic tournament, rather than use a protected ranking for entry—making him the lowest-ranked semifinalist of the ATP era. He currently sits at No. 1,188 after his long injury layoff.

“There’s a good element to that,” Opelka said during his on-court interview. “Let’s call it like it is: These guys don’t want to lose to a guy who hasn’t played in two years. So I’m playing with house money and it allows me to be a little bit more free, and there’s extra nerves on the other side of the net.”

Less than six months after reaching his best ranking in the winter of 2022, Opelka pressed what he thought would be the pause button on his tennis career, as a troublesome hip problem finally became too much to bear. On the opening day of that year’s US Open, he had surgery to remove a benign tumor, and six months later, a wrist injury derailed what he hoped would be a 2023 comeback at the tournament in Delray Beach, which he won in 2020. He ultimately needed two surgeries for that problem, telling the *Palm Beach Post*’s Marc Berman that a “bad surgeon” botched the first one, leading him to more pain and nerve-related concerns.

"These guys don’t want to lose to a guy who hasn’t played in two years. So I’m playing with house money and it allows me to be a little bit more free, and there’s extra nerves on the other side of the net.” - Reilly Opelka

Though the time off allowed him to delve into interest like fashion and art, he recently admitted that he’d considered retiring for good.

“I was ready to pivot,” he told Berman. “I’m pretty confident I’ll land on my feet. I’ve always landed on my feet in whatever I did. I think I’m good at making the best of situations.”

“There’s more to life than tennis and I took that approach well,’’ Opelka continued. “No one wants to be injured for that long a time. But I was better equipped to handle it than most.’’

But Opelka’s been making the most of his new lease on his tennis career so far, and his Newport opportunity. His run to the semifinals has included a win over top seed Adrian Mannarino, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, after a 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(2) opening win over France’s Constant Lestienne. Up next is No. 3 seed Alex Michelsen—a 19-year-old who hadn't yet turned pro when Opelka last played, and reminds him of Taylor Fritz with his backhand and “Cali boy” demeanor.

Opelka intends to play Washington, D.C and Cincinnati this summer before returning to Grand Slam play at the US Open. He entered with a protected ranking, in what's expected to be his first major since Wimbledon two summers ago.