Tommy Paul, current world number 13, was in Mexico City on November 29 to play an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in the Bullringwhere the American fell in two sets.
The North American is one of the players most prominent in his country todayonly below his compatriot and one of his best friends on the circuit, Taylor Fritz (ranking 10), whom in 2015 he beat at Roland Garros Junior, where his career as a professional took a turn, because along his path he had to choose between study university or stay in tennis, deciding on this second option, and although the start was not as expected, after several years the results have been seen.
However, Tommy Paul was clear about whether this was the best choice, ensuring that he would have liked to study, because his beginnings on the ATP circuit were not the best.
“No (it was the best decision), I wish I had gone to university, because I wasted my first few years on tour anyway, so I could have gotten an education those years. But yes, I mean, it already worked,” Paul mentioned in an interview with MILENIO-La Aficion.
2023, the best year of his career
The American tennis player started the year in a great way, as he advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open, Grand Slam in which he lost to world number one, Novak Djokovic. He later came to our country to participate in the Mexican Tennis Open, this being the fourth time he played in this Acapulco tournament, reaching the Final, in which he lost to the Australian Alex de Miñaur.
Despite these two defeats, a few months later he celebrated a great victory against the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz at the Toronto Masters 1000, which gave him his best ranking on the ATP Tour, as number 12 in the world.
“To say it was a good year. But it’s funny. You have the best years of your career and you still think about the games you lost, that you wanted to win. I think about that more than the big wins I got this year,” he said with a laugh.
In recent months a group of Americans have stood out in the competitions, such as Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, who believes that “it helps to have a great group of players. I mean, you see it with Spain right now, they have a lot of younger players who are doing very well and even younger than Carlos. “There are some kids who grow up really fast just because they see someone who lives near them who grows similarly to them doing it, so they know they can do it.”
One of Tommy Paul’s goals for next year is to be top 10, a goal that is not very far away, since only three places separate it, as to why, the American believes that he needed “probably five more victories” to achieve it in 2023.
“The first objective would be to reach the top ten. That’s like the first goal.. And I want to win tournaments. “I didn’t win any tournaments this year, so that’s the goal.”
Fishing enthusiast
Off the court, Tommy forgets about tennis and thinks more about other sports like in basketball and American football.
“When I’m not playing tennis, I try to fish as much as I can. I love going fishing, so that’s pretty much it, and watching the Eagles, football and basketball, I love other sports. When I don’t play tennis, I don’t watch much tennis.”
Another of his likes is to spend time on the farm that his mother and stepfather have in New Jersey, where he helps with everything that is necessary, and although he is not the best, he tries to be.
“(I do) whatever they need, when they need it. I move bales of hay or help with the animals. I ride my mom’s horse quite a bit; My girlfriend has two horses, so it seems like we ride them quite a bit too. I wouldn’t say I’m the best on horseback, but I get by. To surf? No, no so much. No, I’m not cool. I like doing it, but I’m not very good at it. But growing up, I did play all the sports, all of them. It was better in some than in others, but now I look at them all,” he concluded.
That’s what he said
“You have the best years of your career and you still think about the games you lost, that you wanted to win”
Tommy Paul
American tennis player
Paul in the ATP
Ranking 13
Professional since 2015
Record in 2023 41-28
Titles 1 (Stockholm 2021)
ADVERTISEMENT
2023-12-09 08:03:00
#Tommy #Paul #farmer #seeks #top #tennis #Grupo #Milenio
