How can you not feel sorry for Reilly Opelka?

As the 211cm American loped towards his chair at the end of the fifth game of his first ATP final since April 2022, it was apparent he would not come out for the sixth.

Just 13 minutes into his Brisbane International final against Jiří Lehečka, his night was over.

It was a sad end to what had been a heartwarming story for both men in this Brisbane International.

Opelka had been enjoying a relatively solid year in 2022, a 21-15 win-loss record helping him maintain a career high 17 in the world.

His last match, a straight sets defeat in Washington against none other than Nick Kyrgios, took place in August.

After that, the problems started.

First, an operation on his hip to remove a tumorous growth.

Then, he had a wrist operation in early 2023. He didn’t play another match at ATP Tour level until July 15, 2024.

“Yeah it was tough,” Opekla said on court after his incredible straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal.

“A lot of uncertainty, a lot of doubt.

“I stayed the course even when I was in the cast and on crutches and just hoping to have another chance.”

His win over Djokovic propelled the American back into the spotlight, his win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the semifinal thrust him even further out onto the dais.

But even then there were problems brewing, his wrist locking up and causing him pain.

On Sunday, it was his back that was causing him problems.

“I’m bummed,” Opelka said at the post-match presentation.

“Unfortunately my back has been giving me some issues, the tournament doctor and ATP physio have been pretty unbelievable at throwing the kitchen sink at it, and we did, we worked on it literally all day.

“But unfortunately it just wasn’t right enough to compete.”

Anyone who saw his victory over Djokivic knows that Opelka has all the skill to match it with anyone on Tour.

Djokovic was left completely at a loss with how to deal with the angles this giant from Michigan is able to produce with his enormous wingspan.

And Mpetshi Perricard, the biggest server on Tour, was incapable of putting a dent in the American’s armoury.

In the end Lehečka didn’t need to. Opelka’s own body did it for him.

“I’ve been looking forward to play Jiří,” Opelka said.

“When he had his breakthrough on Tour, I was injured, so I’ve been watching him from my couch at home and was really looking forward to a good match up. 

“He’s a hell of a player.”

Opelka must be wondering how much tennis he will be forced to watch his contemporaries play when he knows he should be out there with them.

Lehečka, who had been leading 4-1 at the time of the retirement, looked stunned when his rival pulled out.

It can’t have been easy for him either. Sure, he still has his health, but he missed the chance to show what he was capable of under the sort of pressure that can’t be replicated in practice.

That being said, last year’s Adelaide International winner has shown that he is suited to the hard courts of Australia.

In Brisbane, he beat everyone who has come up against him, starting with the number three seed, world number 13 Holger Rune, relatively comprehensively in straight sets in round one.

His victory over number two seed Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinal may have come by retirement, but the Czech world number 28 was well ahead in a match that Dimitrov looked well able for until the first couple of games of the second set.

A strong week for the 23-year-old sees him claim not only the singles title — the second of his career — but a spot in the doubles final too alongside Jakub Menšík.

A successful week ahead of a big fortnight at Melbourne Park.

The Brisbane champion has never progressed past the quarterfinal of a grand slam, which he achieved in 2023 at the Australian Open.

But given how well he felt this week went, and the similarity of conditions across all Australia’s hard courts, he must feel confident to better his second round display from last year’s tournament where, as the 32nd seed, he lost to Alex Michelsen in four sets in the second round.

“The first thing is that you come here to Australia from Europe, so immediately you feel good,” Lehečka said.

“The good thing is that I cannot help feeling that Tennis Australia is doing a good job in a way that all the courts are the same, all the conditions are similar. 

“Doesn’t matter if you will arrive to Melbourne, Adelaide or somewhere else, you kind of know what is waiting for you right there.

“It helps also a lot. 

“We will see how it goes. I like it here.”