US Open 2021: Reilly Opelka talks about "marginal gains" & learning from Novak Djokovic and other top players

Reilly Opelka has made giant strides at the highest level of the sport this year. Having started the season ranked 39th, the 6'11'' player has now firmly established himself inside the top 25, with a run to the final in Toronto and the semifinals in Rome being the highlights.

According to Opelka, that success is not just due to his gigantic serve or his powerful groundstrokes. After bowing out to World No. 46 Lloyd Harris in the fourth round of the US Open on Monday, the 22nd seed talked about how the things he has learned over the years have contributed to his rise.

From surrounding himself with the best team who motivate him day in and day out to observing his peers outside the court, Reilly Opelka has gained from every little thing.

"I think I put a good team around, I think my coach, physio, I think everyone on my team, my mentors, people I learn from, people I surround myself with outside of the tennis court, I think those are all key ingredients for me learning and improving a lot," Opelka said in his post-match press conference.

"Yeah, I think there is things you can learn from every top-20, top-30 tennis player," he added. "There is a reason why they say if the four or five best players in the world aren't doing something, there is a reason for it."

Citing the example of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the American highlighted the effort that goes in on and off the court - from a player as well as their team - to winning big titles. As pointed out by Opelka, Djokovic makes it a point to bring his own food, he has his own stringers, and he also surrounds himself with people who provide stats and insights into every match.

Reilla Opelka believes these "marginal gains" add up and make a big difference to a player's results.

"You look at some of the things those guys they do," Opelka said. "There's just marginal gains. Novak brings his own food to the courts, he's eating his own meals to the courts every day. They have their own kind of racket guys they're using, making adjustments to the rackets."

"They are spending a lot of money to get stats and data before they are playing," he added. "It's just those little marginal gains that make a world of difference in this business."

Reilly Opelka has also learned more about himself through his own process of improvement. The World No. 24's career-best year has taught him that he can be tough to beat even on his bad days.

Opelka feels he has expanded his "toolbox to win", which should give him a lot of confidence going forward.

"I mean, I have learned how tough I can be to beat and how tough I can be to play, even when I'm not playing well," Opelka said. "I learned I can win a lot of matches without serving great, without returning great."

"You know, obviously it's not easy to win a match when you're not returning serve on the same day, but I have expanded my kind of my toolbox to win, to beat some top guys, some unbelievable tennis players when I might have a part of my game that's not firing," he added.

There is another level above Daniil Medvedev, which is Novak Djokovic: Reilly Opelka

Reilly Opelka (L) & Daniil Medvedev shakes hands after the Toronto Masters final

Reilly Opelka joined the list of elite players with his stunning performance in Toronto last month, where he upset World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to the final. However, the summit clash against the second-ranked Daniil Medvedev turned out to be damp squib, as the Russian dropped just seven games on his way to a 6-4, 6-3 win.

That was Opelka's second consecutive loss to Medvedev, following his French Open thrashing at the hands of the World No. 2 earlier in the year. The two performances were a rude awakening for the American, who learned that he is still far away from the topmost tier of the sport.

Opelka feels he has miles to go to even reach the level of Medvedev, who is still below the level of Novak Djokovic.

"Medvedev really beat me head to head," Opelka commented on their Toronto match. "In a two-out-of-three set match, I didn't have much of a chance, you know, three out of five, which I didn't have much of a chance at the French Open with him. And then there is still another level above him, which is Novak. So, no, no, I'm not there, I'm not close yet."

"Jenson Brooksby and Sebastian Korda are our best top candidates for winning a Slam" - Reilly Opelka on American men's tennis

Jenson Brooksby in action at the 2021 US Open

Reilly Opelka further reflected on the growth of American men's tennis. Once a hub for multiple Slam champions, American men's tennis has waned in the last few years, coinciding with the rise of European players.

But with quite a few talented youngsters coming up, the future seems to be in good hands. World No. 99 Jenson Brooksby, for one, has made quite a statement in the past few weeks with his run to the final in Newport and the semifinals in Washington. The 20-year-old took it a notch higher when he snatched a set from Novak Djokovic in their fourth-round duel at the US Open on Monday.

Sebastian Korda is another young American who has been making his presence felt on the tour. The 21-year-old even triumphed in Parma earlier this year for his maiden career title.

While discussing the future of American tennis, Reilly Opelka tipped these two to be Grand Slam champions in the future.

"I think it's just -- you know, I don't think we will have a Sampras, Agassi era of just dominance like that again," Opelka said. "It's rare for any country. Russia is kind of the closest thing to it now. But I think Brooksby is our best, Brooksby and Korda are our best top candidates for maybe winning a Slam of the young guys."