Tommy Paul has made headlines in the 2023 North American swing despite not winning a single tournament. It is largely because he broke Carlos Alcaraz’s 14-match winning streak, defeating him for the second year in a row in a Masters tournament in Canada. Besides that, his growth has been steady and gradual, so much so that despite winning 1 ATP title so far in his career, he is currently ranked No.13 in the world.
Many believe that Tommy Paul is a breath of fresh air that American men’s tennis needs badly, due to his aggressive style of play which include big, accurate serves along with a wide range of unpredictable shots on the baseline and net alike. However, Paul’s rise has an important Rafael Nadal connection to it, due to which many more tennis enthusiasts actually took notice of him outside the United States.
When Paul took on Nadal in Paris with fearlessness
While critics feel that Tommy Paul has to work hard still to get past lower-ranked players, the American is proving to be a ‘Giant Killer’ when it comes to defeating those above him. One of his victims was Rafael Nadal on the indoors hardcourt surface in Paris in November 2022. In what was just a second round match, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was expected to win easily even as he hadn’t played much tennis in the two months prior to that.
And Nadal got onto business immediately as he has done over the years often, winning the first set 6-3. The match is known till date for a magical Rafael Nadal forehand which he hit running backwards and turning suddenly, while Tommy Paul was expecting the ball to either go past the Spaniard or come to him directly on the net. That moment came in the second set when Paul was leading 4-3 and it was Nadal’s turn to serve.
But what worked largely for Tommy Paul to bounce back was his ability to play shots too deep on the baseline, which made Rafael Nadal go on the defense. It forced Nadal to react by using the pace of the ball, but not as his convenience. Paul’s ability to dictate points worked on the indoor surface as he also was to respond to pretty much everything Nadal threw at him, either on the baseline or near the service line on the net.
Tommy Paul won the tie-breaker in the second set, 7-6. That seemed to have taken a lot out of Nadal, who was clearly struggling physically to match up to a player 10 years younger to him on a surface which has not been his favorite over the years either. The third set went like a breeze much to the shock of the Paris crowd, as Paul cruised through to a 6-1 win and completing arguably the greatest comeback of his career so far.
After the match, Paul was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference, revealing his approach towards playing someone as strong as Nadal .
“It’s probably my best win. I was obviously pumped for the match-up because it’s always interesting when you play one of the big three. I’ve only played him the second time, but the first time I was so nervous. It was weird, this time I wasn’t really nervous. I was pretty relaxed going onto the court and the day before. I think that played a role.
“I came out playing pretty well. He got the first set, but I feel like I played pretty well from the jump. I thought when I was making my first serve, I was playing well.”
Tommy Paul ranking and top 10 wins
Tommy Paul is currently ranked No.13 on the ATP Tour, which could rise before or during the US Open, depending on his performance in the Grand Slam. Paul is just behind Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe in the world rankings when it comes to American men’s singles players. Aged 27, he is proving to be more than a handful in hard courts, having also made it to the Australian Open 2023 semifinals, only faltering against the great Novak Djokovic.
When it comes to beating top 10 players, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz aren’t the only ones Tommy Paul has defeated. He has also managed to defeat current Rogers Cup champion, Jannik Sinner as well as Fritz, Tiafoe and Russia’s Andrey Rublev. Paul had also got past the World No.3 back in 2022, Alexander Zverev.
