"It’s the only Grand Slam that has done it right in recent years, all the others have gone political" - Reilly Opelka calls French Open the best Slam for standing with both Novak Djokovic and Russian players

Reilly Opelka is of the opinion that the French Open is the best Grand Slam tournament at the moment, not because clay is his preferred playing surface but simply because it is the only non-political Slam at the moment.

Speaking in a recent interview with Red Bull, the World No. 26 revealed his hatred for how political tennis has become in recent days, so much so that he considers a Grand Slam played on his least favorite surface to be the best one on tour right now.

“I’ve loved all [the Grand Slams] at different times, but right now, the French Open is the best by far," Opelka said. "It’s my least favorite surface, but I love Paris, and it’s the only Grand Slam that has done it right in recent years. All of the others have gone so political."

The American ace pointed out how the Australian Open did not allow Novak Djokovic to participate this year due to his unvaccinated status but is likely to permit Russian and Belarusian players entry next year despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, he recalled how Wimbledon did the opposite — permitting Djokovic to enter while banning Russians and Belarusians from the event this season.

As for the US Open, his home Grand Slam, the 24-year-old lamented the double standards at play once again, referring to how the 21-time Grand Slam champion's vaccination status once again prevents him from playing while Russian athletes get a free pass.

Only the French Open, therefore, which did not discriminate against any party, should now be considered the "true Grand Slam" in Reilly Opelka's opinion.

"Australia didn’t allow Novak Djokovic to play [because of his COVID vaccine status], but I think they’re going to allow the Russians to play," Opelka said. "The French allowed everyone to play, Wimbledon are banning the Russians but allowing Djokovic and the U.S. Open is banning Djokovic but not the Russians. So the French Open is hands-down the best Grand Slam. For me, it’s the only true Grand Slam now."

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"It’s my biggest pet peeve in life, I get stopped everywhere; in England it’s so bad, it’s the worst" - Reilly Opelka on people commenting on his height

Reilly Opelka wishes people would stop asking him about his height

During the interview, Reilly Opelka also touched on how annoyed he was at people constantly commenting on his height, stating that it was the "biggest pet peeve" of his life. At 6 feet and 11 inches, the American is among the tallest players to have picked up a tennis racquet at the top level.

Opelka, therefore, was mighty frustrated that people, particularly in England, continued to assume he was a basketball player, despite him carrying a tennis bag and boarding a transport vehicle that openly displayed the Wimbledon logo.

“I hate it—it’s my biggest pet peeve in life. I get stopped everywhere. In England it’s so bad. It’s the worst. It’s nonstop. Here in England, I have my headphones on all the time," Reilly Opelka said. "One of the transport guys said to me, ‘Do you play basketball?’ Come on, I was dressed in white, I had a tennis bag on my back and I was just about to get on the Wimbledon transport vehicle.”

The 24-year-old was also unhappy about how many times he had to satiate people's queries on his height every day, a tedious topic of discussion that even made him an impolite responder at times.

The World No. 26 admitted that his only course of action was to refuse to engage in the conversation, which he did as often as possible to avoid being a "d**k" to people unintentionally.

“In England, it’s 20 times a day, I can’t avoid it. Just checking into the hotel, getting a car, any conversation I engage in involves people saying the same thing. Do I give a polite answer? No, but sometimes it’s tough because most of the time I need something from that person," Opelka said. "I can’t be a d**k to people working at an airport because my bags might not show up. But if these people aren’t making my coffee, then I’m not even going to look at them.”