"It's funny but you have to be comfortable looking stupid out there sometimes" - Reilly Opelka reflects on his mentality

American tennis sensation Reilly Opelka recently gave the world a glimpse of his mentality.

Despite his limited time on tour, Opelka has been quite impressive in the 2022 season, winning two ATP singles titles in Dallas and Houston. He even made history in the semifinals of the Dallas Open, recording the longest tie-break in ATP Tour history with his opponent John Isner.

The towering American, who fell from within the top 20 of the ATP singles rankings to finish the season at No. 38, is known to have a bold mentality and has always been outspoken.

He recently sat down for a podcast interview with the ATP and gave fans an insight into his mentality. He stated that he is "analytical" and that this is how he has "always been weird."

"My mentality is, I would say analytical, for better words, that's just kinda how I have always been wired. Finding the right balance where do you caught for lying to be too analytical to where it becomes detrimental, so it's just a matter how am I gonna find the right balance to manage it better," Reilly Opelka said.

The 25-year-old added that you have to be okay with appearing silly on the court at times. He gave an example where he occasionally shoots some high-risk shots that could look silly, but he does it regardless.

"I mean, it sounds funny, but you have to be comfortable looking stupid out there sometimes and at my size, playing what I play. If I get a ball that I like, I am gonna take a high-risk shot and go for something crazy. It leads to some misses that look a silly out there, but that's just the nature of it. It's just what it is, it's just the reality," Opelka said.

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"Having a clear identity of who you are as a tennis player is one of the most important things in the game" - Reilly Opelka

Reilly Opelka in action at the 2022 Citi Open - Day 6.

Reilly Opelka went on to remark that the "most important thing" in tennis is to have a "clear identity" of who you are as a player. In his instance, he was not raised with the intent of becoming a server; instead, he was raised to play aggressively, and he found it extremely difficult to accept that this was the way he would play.

"Having a clear identity of who you are as a tennis player is one of the most important things in the game. I didn't have the mindset of being a server at a young age," he said.

"I remember the time. It was one of the most frustrating moments in my junior career, I would say. I was 16-17 years old, playing the way I was raised to play. At age 15, I had to accept playing more reckless, more aggressive, super fearless. I haven't ingrained this new thought in my mind. It was quite difficult; it was hard to accept that this was gonna be the way I was gonna play," he added.

Reilly Opelka last competed in the Citi Open, where he was eliminated in the third round by eventual champion Nick Kyrgios, 7-6(1), 6-2.