Opelka, the new Isner?: "They have some similarities, but are different in almost every aspect"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 13 Jan 2026 | 17.15

Opelka, the new Isner? "They have some similarities, but they are different in almost every aspect." Photo: Gettyimages

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John Isner and Reilly Opelka fit the same player profile. Both Americans, standing over two meters tall, have staked everything on their serve, although Isner introduced certain variations in his tennis throughout his career. Opelka, for now, continues to rely on his serve.

Interestingly, both have been coached by the same coach, Craig Boynton. The Ohio native made a name for himself during his time with Jim Courier, then went on to guide many other American players like Mardy Fish or Jack Sock, but he spent a total of three years with John Isner. Moreover, before embarking on his journey with Reilly Opelka, he worked with Hubert Hurkacz, showing his tendency to surround himself with big servers.

However, when comparing Isner to Opelka, Boynton sees differences. At this point, Isner's career has been more successful, with a Miami Masters 1000 title among the 16 titles he has won and reaching a career-high ranking of number eight in the world. Meanwhile, Opelka currently holds four ATP titles, with his best ranking position being 17th in 2022.

Craig Boynton sees less resemblance between John Isner and Reilly Opelka

Apart from their respective achievements, Boynton, who knows them both, confirms the differences between them: "They are two different people. Ultimately, all the players here have the same goal, and each has different skills. Obviously, people will notice the similarities between Reilly and John, but they are different players," the coach stated in remarks reported by ATP.

He stresses that despite both being big servers, their approach is not the same: "They have some similarities, but they are different in almost every aspect. They are simply different people, different players, who ultimately try to do the same thing but in different ways."

Opelka, on the other hand, praised his new coach: "He is one of the best coaches in the world, and I think, between him and Jay Berger, I am very lucky. They are great people, smart, tennis geniuses, tennis experts."

The year 2026 looks to be a crucial one for the giant from Michigan. After two years of constant comebacks following hip surgery that left him without an ATP ranking, the American returned to the elite in 2025 and climbed 234 places. A year ago, he was 293rd, but in the last week of December, he was ranked 50th. However, this season he will have to fight to stay in the top rankings, one of the most challenging tasks due to the current parity in the circuit.

So far, he has fallen short in this endeavor considering that he was a finalist in Brisbane and was eliminated in the round of 16, causing a drop of thirteen places. Additionally, the defeat in three tiebreaks against Kamil Majchrzak, where he had three match points, deeply affected him: "It's a tough loss that could last a long time, maybe ten years."

It remains to be seen what this new year holds for Reilly Opelka, who is compared to another big server like John Isner. Only time will tell if his career surpasses or falls short of the accomplishments of the Greensboro giant.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Opelka, ¿el nuevo Isner?: "Tienen algunas similitudes, pero son diferentes en casi todos los aspectos"