Changing racquet improved Opelka’s level: “Was having a hard time getting power because the balls have changed so much”
Reilly Opelka opens up on finding pre-injury level after changing his racquet during the off-season before 2025
© Julien Nouet / Tennis Majors
Reilly Opelka has made big strides on the ATP Tour this year, thanks to a racquet switch.
Opelka, who returned to professional tennis mid-season in 2024 after hip surgery, defeated No 11 seed Holger Rune 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) at the Miami Open on Saturday to reach the third round of a Masters 1000 event for the first time since the 2022 Indian Wells Open.
The former No 17 began 2025 as the world No 293 but came close to winning the Brisbane International, being forced to retire with an injury in the final against Jiri Lehecka. Since then, he has risen to 114 in the ATP rankings and now has the chance to re-enter the top 100, with his Miami movement up and running.
Reilly up and running.
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) March 23, 2025
Opelka upsets Indian Wells finalist Rune in 3 sets 💥 @atptour pic.twitter.com/gpGZvckYfV
“The level is pretty similar,” Opelka said in his post-match presser on Saturday. “I think that I was recovering better after a lot of physical matches earlier. That’s just what I’ve been dealing with, build back that kind of resilience.”
Responding to a question from Tennis Majors in the presser, he credited his new racquet for the success in recent times.
“I felt it when I switched racquets in the off-season,” he said. “I was having a hard time getting the power because the balls have changed so much. I was playing with the same racquet that I always did but the game changed a little bit mainly from the balls. As soon as I made that switch, I felt like my racquet has a lot more power than my old racquet and that just made me feel like how I was playing before my injury with the old balls that I was used to.”
