Reilly Opelka stuns “hero” Novak Djokovic at 2025 Brisbane International

Reilly Opelka has kicked his injury comeback into high gear at the 2025 Brisbane International, scoring one of the most monumental victories of his career to defeat Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (6), 6-3.

“I’m excited, but this is kind of the beginning of a new start for me,” explained an all-business Opelka during his on-court interview. “I’ve got a long way to go to get my ranking back where I’d like it, and my endurance back where I can compete at this level week in, week out.”

A former world No. 17, Opelka spent most of the last two seasons away from tennis dealing with hip and wrist injuries, but looked back to his best against Djokovic, stunning the 24-time Grand Slam champion in one hour and 39 minutes on Pat Rafter Arena.

“It was tough, with a lot of uncertainty and a lot of doubt,” the 27-year-old said of his time away from tennis, citing Djokovic as his greatest inspiration.

“I watched Novak become the greatest and through that two-year period off, you find yourself asking things like, ‘What would Novak be doing in my situation?’ Even when you’re in a sleeve, you’re always trying to maximize and that’s the effect he’s had on the sport…I stayed the course when I was in a cast and on crutches, and was just hoping to have another chance out here like tonight.”

Opelka stayed the course Friday evening, backing up two solid wins earlier in the week to start strong against the former world No. 1, who was making his own return to action after shutting down his season following the Rolex Shanghai Masters in October. The pair gamely traded service holds before Opelka made his move in the tiebreaker, converting a second set point in the Sudden Death to put himself in position for an upset.

“He’s the greatest tennis player the sport has ever seen,” gushed Opelka, who called Djokovic his “hero” at the net. “It’s difficult being in Novak’s position: he can scout me or any opponent all day long, but the reality is we have nothing to lose coming in against him. He’s the greatest player ever, so you end up playing more free and you end up taking a lot more risks because it’s your only chance.

“If you play your normal level or even above your normal level, he’s going to win every time. So, it’s tough in his position because you get players who roll the dice and on a day like this when a lot of things go my way, that’s how it works out.”

Opelka, who moonlighted as a Tennis Channel analyst during his injury break, kept his level high in the second set, serving a total 16 aces as he took a 5-2 lead, ultimately serving out his spot in only his second semifinal in two years at love.

The big show’s in a week. Obviously this is great, this is awesome. But this is all prep for Melbourne, and this is just a step along the way. Reilly Opelka,

“I was just focused on my spots,” Opelka said of that final game. “If I hit them, it’s hard to get them back, but if there’s anyone who can, it’s him. I was ready for that; if it happened, it happened, and there’d still be more tennis to be played. It’s not the end of the world if I get broken, and we carry on.”

The 6’11” American will face an equally big server in the semis as 6’8” Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard looms: the rising French star has rocketed up the rankings in the time Opelka has looked to rebuild his ranking, but Opelka relishes another challenge in the days leading up to the 2025 Australian Open.

“The big show’s in a week,” he said. “Obviously this is great, this is awesome. But this is all prep for Melbourne, and this is just a step along the way. Anyone can do this for a night or two here and there. The difficult part is sustaining it over an 11- month season.”