Tennis giant wins first match in two years after going through injury hell

Reilly Opelka won his first Tour-level match in nearly two years on Monday as he made a stylish comeback at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open. The 26-year-old has endured his fair share of recent injury problems but looked reassuringly comfortable during his victory over Constant Lestienne.

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 saw his comeback delayed.

The Michigan native was able to steer clear of any further setbacks during his 6-1 2-6 7-6 victory over Lestienne in two hours and five minutes. He won 89 per cent of his first serve points and hit 16 aces to set up a second-round meeting with top seed Adrian Mannarino.

"It was super nice, it took me a while to find certain things," said Opelka, who played his only match during the past 23 months at an ATP Challenger event in October.

"My return was there in the beginning, which was weird, and my serve wasn't. Then the return went away and the serve came back and it kind of ended right where I left off. It was nice to be back. It felt like longer than two years.

"So yeah, it was just nice to find my level again. I'm still just getting my sea legs and trying to figure everything out. But yeah, it's great to be back."

Opelka, who is renowned for his devastating serving power, is currently ranked 1188th in the world after tumbling down the leaderboard 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.

Reflecting on his lengthy spell on the treatment table, Opelka said: "It is what it is. It's part of sports. 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."

Opelka previously revealed that he was unable to move his arm for six months following surgery as it was kept in a cast that ran past his elbow. Once the cast was removed, he began training with foam balls usually reserved for children who are learning the game.

The towering American is a former Wimbledon junior champion, achieving SW19 glory in 2015 when he beat Mikael Ymer in the final. At six feet and 11 inches tall, he is tied with Ivo Karlovic as the tallest-ever ATP-ranked player.