"Pathetic man & pathetic behavior"; "Second biggest loser behind Nick Kyrgios" - Fans slam Reilly Opelka for continuing attack on doubles tennis

Tennis fans recently criticized Reilly Opelka for persistently attacking doubles tennis. Opelka has long been a vocal critic of the doubles event in tennis, expressing his dislike for it on multiple occasions.

Earlier this month, Opelka made controversial comments suggesting that doubles is a fallback for players who have not succeeded in singles. He argued that there is no such thing as a "doubles specialist," and that players in the event take up practice courts, physios, and resources without generating a profit.

Most recently, the former World No.17 took to social media and shared a post featuring a sparsely populated stadium during a doubles match. He sarcastically captioned the image with "#watchmoredoubles," further emphasizing his distaste for the event.

Reilly Opelka even updated his Instagram bio to include the same hashtag.

This provoked tennis fans who were already displeased with Opelka's ongoing criticism of doubles tennis and they took to social media to express their disapproval of the American's behavior and the hashtag he chose to use.

One fan condemned Reilly Opelka's actions as "pathetic behavior" suggesting that top doubles players achieve more success than he ever will.

"Pathetic man and pathetic behavior. Top doubles players achieve more than he will achieve in his entire life," a fan posted.

Another fan suggested that Opelka's frequent disparagement of doubles tennis seems to be a ploy for attention.

"Second Biggest loser on tour right behind Kyrgios 😂 what a bum man at this point he just wants attention," a fan wrote.

"If he doesn’t like them just don’t play it lol why would he try to get rid of them for everyone else lmao clown," a fan posted.

"It’s honestly pretty strange behavior from someone who really hasn’t done much and recently returned to tennis. Would be interested to hear how doubles impacts his career so much that he feels it should go away," a fan wrote.

Here are some other fan reactions:

"Loser behavior," a fan posted.

"I hate players who shit on their professionals under the guise of being real. What he said was in bad taste, and it's no surprise he's doubling down on it . A serve bot with a pretty loud mouth," a fan wrote.

"Maybe he should focus on the boring ass tennis he plays instead of being obnoxious," a fan posted.

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Despite his attack on doubles tennis, Reilly Opelka has played in the category and won a title

Jannik Sinner & Reilly Opelka won the doubles title at Atlanta Open 2021 [Image Source: Getty Images]

Despite his reservations about doubles tennis, Reilly Opelka has played in the category and has also claimed a title at the 2021 Atlanta Open. He had teamed up with Jannik Sinner and the duo began their campaign by defeating the second-seeded pair of Jonathan Erlich and Santiago Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2 in the first round.

Opelka and Sinner continued their winning streak by overcoming Treat Huey and Benoit Paire 7-6(4), 6-4, as well as Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

In the final, Jannik Sinner and Reilly Opelka emerged victorious against Steve Johnson and Jordan Thompson with a score of 6–4, 6–7(6), [10–3] to win the title at the 2021 Atlanta Open.

Opelka has also achieved runner-up finishes in the doubles events at the 2019 Swiss Indoors, 2020 New York Open, and the 2021 Queens Club Championships.