Three days after losing in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Tommy Paul was back at his home in Boca Raton, Florida, trying to sleep off jet lag and the agony of defeat.
He had his chances in the match against Alexander Zverev, including during the first two sets in which he dropped both in tiebreaks, but he ultimately lost 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1. His dreams of reaching his second career major semifinal with a chance to secure a spot in his first Grand Slam final were dashed.
So while Zverev was battling Novak Djokovic in Rod Laver Arena for a place in the Australian Open final, Paul was deep in slumber some 9,700 miles away. That is, until his girlfriend, influencer Paige Lorenze, woke him up at 4 a.m.
"She wakes me up to tell me that Novak pulled out in the semis [with injury] after a set and I was like, 'Wow, are you kidding me?'" Paul told ESPN while laughing. "It sucked. I was like, 'You really had to wake me up at 4 to tell me that?' I wouldn't say it made me think, 'What if?' but more like a 'If I would have.'"
But now, just over a month later, that disappointment and the realization of how close he was to a lifelong goal have only further fueled Paul. He won three tour titles in 2024 and cracked the top 10 of the rankings for the first time in his career after his run in Melbourne. With a career that has been defined by hard work and steady progress, the 27-year-old knows he's capable of even more.
Paul was painfully aware as soon as he walked off the court against Zverev of where he could improve -- starting with his first serve -- but the loss also provided a valuable lesson that he believes could help down the road, whenever that next big opportunity arises.
"In a way, I lost that match against Zverev, but also Zverev won that match, and I've got to find a way to win that match," Paul said. "I don't want to get results from people losing the match to me. I want to go out there and win those. And I mean, that's what you have to do in these late rounds against great players, you have to win them. Nobody's going to give you those matches. So that's what I didn't do and that's what I need to correct."
Paul, currently the second-highest ranked American at No. 10, is not the type of player to sit around and mope after a tough defeat, according to his longtime coach Brad Stine.
"There are some guys who it almost feels like a funeral for two days every time they lose, but Tommy is not a doom-and-gloom type of guy," Stine told ESPN. "Within 20 minutes or so, we're having a beer and hashing over some of the different stuff that we're looking at. [We're] talking about the situation and examining where we are, what we can take from that and how we can apply it to the next time he's on court."
Paul's positive demeanor and willingness to learn were part of what drew Stine to him over five years ago when they began working together ahead of the 2020 season. At that point, Paul, the 2015 junior French Open champion, was ranked No. 90 and was winless in his three career major main draw appearances. But Stine, who spent years coaching former world No. 1 Jim Courier and looks for opportunities in which he can be with a player until the end of their career, saw something in Paul. Stine put together a five-year plan of what they wanted to achieve, and a list of 11 things he wanted Paul to add, remove or change about his game, and Paul got to work.
Weeks later, Paul reached the third round at the Australian Open after a win over Grigor Dimitrov, the No. 18 seed. By the end of the year, Paul had recorded the first top-10 victory of his career (coincidentally over Zverev at the Mexican Open) and made it through Stine's list.
Paul won his first ATP title in 2021 in Stockholm, and his confidence and hunger for more continued to grow.
"Tommy said, 'Man, I want more of this,'" Stine said. "It wasn't like, 'Oh, I'm satisfied.' He was like, 'That was phenomenal. What a great feeling. Let's do that again.'"
The following season he recorded four top-10 wins, including over Rafael Nadal at the Paris Masters. His ranking continued to climb -- part of the duo's long-term objectives -- and Paul had a realization during a conversation with Stine ahead of the 2023 season.
SHOT OF THE YEAR CONTENDER 🤯
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 4, 2025
Tommy Paul what have you just done 💪#DallasOpen pic.twitter.com/39RI4uk9TA
"I made a comment about him being really good and he looked at me and said, 'Brad, I don't want to be really good, I want to be great.'"
And while for some players that focus on greatness could be daunting, Paul's secret to achieving it might just be the "healthy balance" he's found in his quest to achieve it.
"Tommy does a phenomenal job of balancing that desire to be great with a good mixture of relaxation and fun and enjoyment in the competition itself," Stine said. "He doesn't let the idea of being top 10, top 5, become all-consuming or overwhelming. It's rare."
Paul opened 2023 with his first-ever major semifinal appearance at the Australian Open, becoming the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2009 to do so and subsequently making his top-20 debut. The rest of the season was filled with several other firsts, including reaching a 500-level final at the Mexican Open and defeating Carlos Alcaraz, then the world No. 1.
Even when his ranking didn't exactly reflect a contender status, Paul has always believed he could win tournaments. In 2024 he claimed his biggest title to date at the 500-level Queen's Club Championships, in addition to the 250-level Dallas Open and winning again in Stockholm. He reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time and earned an Olympic bronze medal alongside friend Taylor Fritz in doubles.
"Every tournament I go to, I want to win it," Paul said. "I think if you're showing up to the tournament without the idea of trying to win the tournament in your head, then why even go to the tournament? But that being said, I really feel like I show up to tournaments now and I don't want to say, 'think I should,' but I go there and look at it more as a mission. Like, 'All right, let's get through the first couple rounds trying to save the body and then put your body on the line late in the tournament, and try and get this title here.' I have a lot more confidence in myself going into tournaments now."
Paul began dealing with the effects of a small muscle tear in his shoulder in Australia, and the discomfort continued during his title defense in Dallas this month. After losing in the semifinals, Paul withdrew from the Delray Beach Open the following week. While disappointing because the tournament is just minutes from his home in Boca Raton, with family and friends hoping to attend, Paul knew he needed the rest to be ready for the remainder of the spring hard-court season. The other upside: It meant he was able to enjoy watching the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl from home, without having to worry about his own tournament preparation. Paul said he was thrilled it was a rout from start to finish. "I loved that it was a beatdown. I would much rather it that way than a close one."
On Wednesday, Paul, Holger Rune and Casper Ruud withdrew from the Mexican Open, citing stomach illness. Paul had been slated to participate in the star-studded MGM Rewards Slam in Las Vegas on Sunday alongside Fritz, Zverev and Ruud, but that has since been postponed.
Paul will now look to improve on his semifinal run at Indian Wells in 2024 and potentially earn valuable ranking points at the Miami Open after retiring from his opening-round match last season with an ankle injury.
Paul credits Stine and the rest of his team for helping push him on a daily basis. He considers them "like family," and continues to be proud of their collective loyalty to one another.
"We work together really well," he said. "Whether it's in group chats or just kind of shooting the s---, we're talking every single day. It's an awesome group of guys."
The 2025 Australian Open marked Paul's third Slam quarterfinal appearance. While he's buoyed by his good run to start the year, reaching the final eight is no longer a milestone, but a steppingstone on the path to his ultimate dream: winning a major. He knew he could potentially reach the top 10 at the event leading in, but it wasn't something he focused on, and, while exciting, is also simply part of that journey.
"I wish I could tell you something huge changed for me [when I made the top 10]," Paul said. "I'm doing the same stuff every day that I did three weeks ago. I'm still waking up and going to practice, still waking up and training and doing body work with my physio. Everything's really the same. The only thing that's changed is my goals.
"Now I have a new goal, which is top five. And to do that, you got to win tournaments. You got to go to Masters 1000s with holding the trophy at the end of the week in your head. Those are my goals now. "