Opelka smashes the 'Maldives' trend: 'Free vacations? No thanks!'

While tennis stars flock en masse to the Maldives, Reilly Opelka takes the opposite view: for him, this 'tradition' is anything but a dream.

© AFP

Arthur Millot

le 27/11/2025 à 16h23

2 min to read

Opelka Sabalenka Sinner Zverev

Sinner, Sabalenka, Zverev… The list is endless. Every end of the season, the archipelago almost becomes a tropical training camp.

But in this wave of relaxation, one player is the exception: Reilly Opelka, who categorically refuses to follow the trend.

“It’s strange”: the system that players know… but never comment on

Guest on the Nothing Major podcast, Opelka put words to what many think quietly. Because yes: these stays are not only sumptuous. They are offered, or almost.

Former player Sam Querrey explains it bluntly:

“Rooms are free for many. One hour of tennis per day, and it’s paid.”

A simple deal: the resorts finance the accommodation, the players offer a little time on the court. All in one of the most idyllic places on the planet.

But Querrey adds a point that many are unaware of:
the hierarchy continues even on vacation.

“The top ten go to the most expensive establishments. Those ranked 30 to 50 go to the Hilton or the Sheraton.”

Opelka, however, refuses: “I would pay $25,000 to stay at home”

But for Reilly Opelka, this perk is not a gift. On the contrary: he sees it as an absurdity of the tour.

“We travel 40 weeks a year. I spent less than eight weeks at home all season. And then they ask you to do a 14-hour flight… to go to a hotel with other players?

Even if they offered me 6 paid days for one hour of tennis per day? I would say no. I would pay $25,000 to stay at home.”

A categorical refusal, almost provocative, but deeply revealing: for some players, the ultimate luxury is no longer in a villa on stilts, but in the tranquility of returning home.