Reilly Opelka pulls out of Australian Open due to injuries

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian Open officials say Reilly Opelka has withdrawn from the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year.

Although no reason was given for the withdrawal on Wednesday, Opelka, a 25-year-old native of St. Joseph, Michigan, has been troubled by hip and ankle injuries over the last half of 2022. He has not played a match since his loss to Nick Kyrgios at the 2022 Citi Open in Washington in August.

The beneficiary of Opelka’s withdrawal is Zhang Zhizhen, who will appear in his third main singles draw at a Grand Slam tournament beginning Jan. 16 at Melbourne Park.