As it says, when opportunity knocks on your doors, always be willing to take a chance, because you never know how perfect something could turn out to be. Perhaps no one knows it better than America’s Denis Kudla! Reason? Well, shortly after announcing his retirement from the sport after securing a victory for Team USA at the 2025 United, he informed his fans that he’d be taking up a new role. From being a player to a coach in just a few days gap. Yes, you heard that right! Denis Kudla has announced that he’ll be coaching Reilly Opelka in the upcoming days. What did he say while making this announcement, though?

Well, for those unaware, Denis Kudla moved from Ukraine to Fairfax, Virginia on his first birthday. He started playing tennis at the age of 7. Seeing his older brother Nikita and his father’s friends playing the sport, Kudla fell in love with tennis. This 32-year-old American tennis player reached his highest career ranking (53) in May 2016. Although he didn’t ever win singles or doubles titles on the main Tour, he played a big role in inspiring many young American tennis players.

While making the announcement for taking up a new role during the recent episode of The Changeover Podcast, Kudla said, “Some big news…I just retired, officially announcing it right after this United Cup. But yeah I started with Reilly Opelka on December 1st, made a big decision. Has kind of flirting with it. Anyway was going to play till next year’s US Open and then I just knew, that December in the off-season is usually a time when a lot of players are looking for coaches. I knew, I kind of wanted to go on Tour and because I just felt like I had so much information to give to be able to help somebody, you know.“

Speaking on his new role in Reilly Opelka’s team, he revealed, “I got a call with Reilly, and as I threw my name in the hat, not what I expected…we had a relationship for ten years, so there was no learning curve there and again I knew something with coaching is a lot of not what you know but how you deliver the information. Because sometimes it’s not rocket science.” Further talking about Reilly Opelka’s incredible comeback in 2025, he highlighted, “With Reilly what an opportunity, what an upside, what a player, and the fact that he’s American as well and I want to help American tennis. Something, I couldn’t say no to and so far, the relationship is awesome and he just took out Djokovic last night.“

So, new challenges are lined up for this Floridan in the upcoming months but how did the tennis world react to Denis Kudla’s retirement though? He won his last match alongside Desirae Krawczyk in the doubles event at the United Cup. They defeated the Czech Republic’s Patrik Riki and Gabriel Knutson by 7-5,6-0 to help Team USA seal the deal at 3-0! After the match, Kudla shared an IG sport where he wrote, “Thank you Tennis, This journey has come to an end. I want to thank everyone who made this ride something special for me, no matter how big or small the role in my life. Every memory will be something that I cherish forever and will always be proud of.“

After seeing this post, American star, Frances Tiafoe shared this post on his IG story with the caption, “Dk man congrats on a dope career. I really appreciate you, bro. More than you can ever imagine. You truly helped me believe that being a pro can be a reality. Especially coming out of the DMV where there is only a handful of guys to ever do it. Thanks for giving me game and support as a youngin and still to this day. Nothing but love for you baldhead Kudla.” Not only Tiafoe even, but Jessica Pegula also congratulated him on his incredible career.

Along with highlighting the fact about how she helped him make this post, Pegula wrote, “Incredible career Denis!!” Even his partner in his last match, Krawczyk paid a tribute to Denis Kudla by writing, “Denis 👏🏼 Denis 👏🏼 Denis 👏🏼 Congrats on a great career!!! 🫶🏻 🔒.” There were others like Tommy Paul, Shelby Rogers, and many more tennis stars who congratulated him on his incredible career. Now, let’s take a look at his upcoming task: coaching the in-form Reilly Opelka!

Reilly Opelka’s red hot form in Brisbane may make things easier for Denis Kudla to kickstart his new challenge

He defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic by 7-6(6),6-3 in the QF and then after the match, the Serb was seen heaping praise on Reilly Opelka. Djokovic admitted, “Amazing tennis, Reilly. Absolutely deserved.” What did Opelka say after that emphatic victory? Well, Opelka has had quite a few setbacks over the last few years. Be it injuries or lack of form, he got pushed away further from his golden days.

However, after beating the Serb he said, “We entered the match with nothing to lose. He’s the greatest player ever. That allowed me to play more freely and take bigger risks. If I perform at my normal level or even a notch above, it’s tough for anyone, including him, to win consistently. With that kind of day, everything just fell into place for me.”

Even Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennas Stubbs was impressed with his performance against Djokovic. She hailed his “GREAT STORY OF RESILIENCE” and stated that she was truly happy for him. After that, Reilly Opelka beat Frances’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the SF and now he’s set to take on Jiri Lehecka (CZE) in the final. Time will tell if he can create a historic moment on Super Sunday, but will Denis Kudla-Reilly Opelka’s partnership be a superhit?