American tennis player Reilly Opelka objected to the fine he received at the US Open for entering the court with an unapproved bag. The twenty-fourth player in the world, who is known for his cannon service, has to pay ten thousand dollars (about 214 thousand crowns).
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American tennis player Reilly Opelka during the 3rd round match at the US Open.
Geoff Burke, Reuters
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Before the second round match, Opelka came to the court with a pink bag with the emblem of the Belgian gallery. However, the logo exceeded the permitted dimensions and the tournament management punished the 24-year-old tennis player.
“Really? Getting a fine for a pink bag is a bad joke,” Opelka said after Saturday’s promotion to the round of 16 after winning over Nikolaos Basilashvili from Georgia. “The referee told me that I should have it re-measured before the match and ordered me to cover it up,” he added.
He then learned about the fine from the New York Grand Slam leadership only from journalists. “No one let me know, which is even more comical. Maybe at least the money will go to a good cause. If they want to take ten thousand of them, I hope they don’t end up with a big company,” Opelka said.
Pretty sure tonight’s pink bag for Reilly says “unapproved.” ???? #servebot #usopen #defiant pic.twitter.com/wdM7VrTA6U
— Reilly Opelka’s Beard (@opelkasbeard) September 4, 2021
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The 24-year-old American also stated that he already had a similar bag at the French Open. He had the logo reduced for the US Open, but according to him, during the production in Europe, there was an error in the conversion from inches to centimeters.
“I think the punishment is a bit exaggerated. I’m not here to remeasure the characters. I have other worries, my job is to win matches,” added Opelka, who will face South African Lloyd Harris in the first grand slam final of his career.
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