World No.1188 breaks eight-year record with incredible run as rival calls him ‘nasty’ | Tennis | Sport

Reilly Opelka has broken an eight-year record previously held by Juan Martin del Potro by reaching the semi-finals at the Hall of Fame Open. The 26-year-old recently returned from a lengthy injury absence and his comeback is going better than anybody would have expected.

Opelka, who stands at nearly seven feet tall, was given a wildcard for the event in Rhode Island after going through years of injury hell. He was sidelined for a while after undergoing hip surgery before having another procedure on his wrist, which caused further delays.

The Michigan native has marked his return to the court in style by getting to the semi-finals at the Hall of Fame Open after beating Mackenzie McDonald in the last eight. A solitary break of Opelka’s serve handed his rival the opening set but he came from behind to win 4-6 6-3 6-4.

The result saw Opelka become the lowest-ranked player to reach the semi-finals of an ATP Tour-level event. His current ranking of 1188th is lower than Del Potro’s ranking of 1042nd when he made it to the last four of the Delray Beach Open in 2016.

Following his hard-fought victory over McDonald, Opelka was singled out for special praise by fellow American player Ben Shelton. Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “How nasty is @reillyopelka at this sport… how does someone do this after two years not playing?”

Opelka, who is renowned for his devastating serving power, has tumbled down the rankings over the last two years due to his inactivity. He reached a career-high ranking of 17th in 2022 after reaching the final of the Delray Beach Open, where he was beaten by Cameron Norrie.

Opening up on his injury struggles before the Hall of Fame Open, Opelka revealed that he was unable to move his arm for six months following surgery. Once he was able to start regaining movement, he began training with foam balls usually reserved for children who are learning the game.

“It is what it is, it’s part of sports,” he said. “Luckily, I feel like I’m just kind of picking right back up from where I left off. From where I was a couple months ago, this is a great step for me.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d be playing this year or not, but I feel really good for now about my body, knock on wood. It seems to change every week but it’s definitely heading in the right direction.”