Beyond the Baseline Podcast: 19-year-old American Reilly Opelka

On this week's episode, host Jon Wertheim talks with 19-year-old American Reilly Opelka.
Beyond the Baseline Podcast: 19-year-old American Reilly Opelka
Beyond the Baseline Podcast: 19-year-old American Reilly Opelka /

On the Beyond the Baseline Podcast, Sports Illustrated executive editor, Tennis Channel commentator and host Jon Wertheim takes fans between the lines with tennis commentary and exclusive interviews with the top players and newsmakers on the ATP and WTA tours.

On this weeks episode, Wertheim talks with Reilly Opelka.

From a Challenger-level tournament in San Francisco, 19-year-old Opelka discusses how he manages the constant travel from tournament to tournament, how it affects his preparation for matches and his five-set loss against David Goffin in the first round of the Australian Open. Opelka also talks about the constant comparisons to fellow tall players John Isner and Ivo Karlovic and how he learns from the way they play. Wertheim and Opelka also talk about nutrition—including his love for Lucky Charms and Red Bull—how he got into tennis as a young kid, his friendship with the other young, up-and-coming American teenagers, why he decided to go pro over playing college tennis and more.

• MORE BEYOND THE BASELINE: Paul Annacone | Mary Carillo

​Also on the podcast, Opelka talks about the current landscape of tennis, with older players winning Grand Slams, and how that affects how he views his career length, current goals and more.

Listen below and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher.

Check back next week for another episode of Beyond the Baseline.


Published
Jon Wertheim
JON WERTHEIM

Jon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat , sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for "60 Minutes" and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor's in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.