Opelka has come a long way: "I've been thinking about retirement".

Reilly Opelka has been through a lot, but he's back.

Absent from the main circuit for almost two years, the American giant made an almost unexpected return to competition this week.

On the grass of Newport, he racked up three solid victories to reach the semi-finals. A historic performance given his current ranking (1188th).

When asked about his resurgence, Opelka was frank: "The fact that I'm out there, that's the best part. There was a time when I wasn't sure it would ever happen again.

Of course, I thought about retiring, I was ready to stop, but I've always been very aware of everything that's happened to me. I think I know how to get the best out of myself in certain situations, but in this case, I was quite ready to finish."