Reilly Opelka gets hand cast autographed by good friend Tommy Paul

American tennis player Reilly Opelka recently got his hand cast signed by his dear friend and fellow player Tommy Paul.

Opelka has been on the sidelines since last year due to injuries. His last match was in August 2022 at the Citi Open in Washington, where he lost to Nick Kyrgios in the second round. The American has been unable to compete since due to a hip injury, which has caused him to miss the last two Grand Slams.

On Monday, March 20 the former World No. 17 took to social media to share a couple of pictures with Tommy Paul. In the first one, Opelka gets his hand cast autographed by Paul, and in the second, he proudly displays the signed cast.

"Got my cast signed @tommypaull," Opelka captioned the story.

Reilly Opelka's Instagram stories

Although Opelka has been away from the tennis court for an extended period, he has proven to be a valuable asset to his peers by providing them with guidance. His impact was particularly evident at the 2023 Australian Open, where he played a crucial role in guiding Paul to the semifinals. Despite his absence from the court, Opelka's knowledge and experience have been invaluable to his fellow players.

Reilly Opelka reiterates call to scrap doubles tennis after players prioritize singles at Indian Wells

Reilly Opelka at the BNP Paribas Open

Reilly Opelka once again made headlines when he asserted that doubles tennis is inherently inferior to singles on the ATP Tour. Although Opelka had previously discussed the supposed lack of interest in doubles among fans, he has now expressed his opinion that even several top-ranked players no longer care about doubles.

The 2023 Indian Wells Open experienced the withdrawal of four doubles teams during the first two rounds of the competition. The reason behind these backouts was primarily due to the players' focus on their singles matches.

In that context, Opelka took to social media to point out the apparent dire state of doubles tennis.

"4 walk overs in only two rounds of doubles at Indian Wells.." he wrote on his Instagram story.

Opelka takes a dig at doubles matches in tennis

Previously, Opelka responded to a fan saying that he would eliminate doubles matches since they do not seem to garner much interest from viewers. The former World No. 17 also claimed the audience is primarily drawn to singles players, with former American stars Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan being the only doubles team that could capture their attention.

"Get rid of doubles, only time people watch are when its singles players or the bry bros," he wrote on his Instagram story.

Opelka's response to a fan via his Instagram story