February 2020: Reilly Opelka has just won his second ATP title, emerging at the top of the heap in Delray Beach, Florida. Last summer, the day after he broke into the top 50, Reilly Opelka sat down for an exclusive interview with Karl Corbett of Tennis Acumen. We talked about life on the road.
Karl: When you have friends and family in the stands, do you interact with them, or just keep your focus on the court?
Reilly: I don't really look up in my box much. I might, occasionally look at my coach, if anything. He doesn’t ever communicate with me. I'll just chirp at him a little bit, but that's about it.
Karl: How do you deal with a bad day, and the frustration that comes with the game?
Reilly: It’s hard, especially losing. Actually, I shouldn’t say that it’s hard. That's all right. It's just a normal part of life. Highs and lows are something everyone has. It's easy for me to find. Fun in most things. It only gets tough when I'm alone. That's when I struggle the most, and that is pretty rare. I try to avoid that, to be honest. At a tournament where Francis (Tiafoe) or (Taylor) Fritz aren’t going to be there, I invite all of my friends to come. I try to avoid that feeling of being alone and on the road. It's usually my least favorite. I like being around people I like being around my friends.
Karl: Reilly, one last question: What is your life going to be like a year from now?
Reilly: I don't know. I couldn't tell you, really. That's the exciting part. Every day is different. Every week's different. You never know, and that's what crazy about this life. I am just thankful for each day as it comes.
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