Andre Agassi’s tip for America’s next big tennis star in 2017 has not come true for a multitude of reasons.
The American great is still involved in the sport, with Agassi applauding Carlos Alcaraz for his US Open win.
Agassi will lead Team USA at the Laver Cup and he has always maintained a vested interest in American tennis since his retirement in 2006.
The star tipped an American player for greatness in 2017, but he’s currently ranked at World No. 70 on the ATP Tour.
Andre Agassi predicted big things for Reilly Opelka in 2017
In an interview with Time Magazine in 2017, Agassi name-dropped an American he believed would reach the very top of the sport.
“You look at something you can’t teach like Reilly Opelka who is seven feet tall,” said the eight-time Grand Slam champion.
“It’s slim pickings when you talk about the best in the world, and you better bring something that’s very unique,” he added.
“You’re competing against the world, so this is probably one of the most optimistic generations that I think we have a look now at possibly having somebody sneak through.”
Opelka has failed to crack into the top 10 of the sport, but he has reached a career-high of World No. 17 in 2022.
The American giant has suffered from multiple injury issues, including back and foot problems, which have hampered his career.
The star has won four ATP Tour trophies, the last of which came in April 2022, when he beat compatriot John Isner in the U.S Men’s Clay Court Championships.
As of September 2025, Opelka is ranked World No. 63 following his first-round exit to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
Who will be the next American man to win a Grand Slam?
Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open win still stands as the last time an American man lifted a major trophy in tennis, but they are getting close.
Taylor Fritz reached the US Open final in 2024, but fell short to the strength of Jannik Sinner at Flushing Meadows.
Outside of Fritz, Ben Shelton looks the other likely candidate to end America’s 23-year drought without a Grand Slam winner.
The American has cracked the ATP Tour top 10, where he currently stands at World No. 6, and he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open at the beginning of 2025.
