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“We Are Not So Lucky”: Reilly Opelka Compares Pay Cut and Bubble Life of Tennis With PGA Tour

Published 03/29/2021, 6:21 AM EDT

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American World No. 41 Reilly Opelka has been outspoken about the tennis players’ struggle in the coronavirus-conditioned tournaments. Recently, he reiterated his stand on Twitter, comparing the ATP Tour to the PGA Tour.

Firstly, the 23-year-old American was not happy with the prize money cut at the Miami Open 2021. Following that, he even expressed his disappointment over the hefty ticket prizes this year and called out the ATP executives.

This revelation invited a lot of criticism from inside and outside of the tennis world. More than anything, fans urged him to be grateful as he can make a living in these trying times. Now, the 6 feet 11 inches tall American has delivered an answer for that too.

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Reilly Opelka Voices John Isner’s Concerns, Calls Out ATP Executives After Miami Open 2021 Prize Money Cut

Reilly Opelka on the pay cut and bubble-life in tennis

Reilly Opelka is probably echoing the thoughts of many tennis professionals. Moreover, he clarified that he is grateful but not lucky as other sports.

“Are we lucky to still have jobs? Yes, 100%. But if you compare to other sports… we are not so lucky. PGA players are not taking a 70% pay cut,” Opelka wrote on Twitter.

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Previously, the American talent had called out the ATP executives for not sharing the same pay cut.

But Opelka was not done yet. Over his last tweet, the American highlighted how the bubble is enforced only on tennis players. He also revealed that people other than players swiftly move in and out of the “bubble”.

Opelka wrote, “Other sports are not having to stay in “bubbles” either. Our bubbles are strictly for optics (besides Miami Open). Outside guests are always there, and tournament staff (that we are close contacts with) get to go home.”

Ultimately, he did not have to spend a lot of time in the Miami bubble as he lost his first match. However, his take on the current situation is something most tennis players would agree with without hesitation.

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With Opelka out, who are the players to look out for in Miami?

The Miami Open 2021 men’s tournament is almost down to the last 16 players. The top two seeds, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, are still in the title contention.

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USA Today via Reuters

Apart from them, the last edition’s winner and defending champion John Isner is looking formidable in Miami. Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman, Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut, Milos Raonic, Aslan Karatsev, Jannik Sinner, and Kei Nishikori are other players to keep an eye on.

Which player will take home the Miami Open title this year?

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Written by:

Purav Joshi

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Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.
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