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Tommy Paul recently let tennis fans in on what went on behind the scenes during back-to-back matches.
On Saturday, the American lost to Alex de Minaur in the final of the 2023 Mexican Open in Acapulco. During the trophy ceremony after the match, Tommy Paul thanked his team for having his back throughout the strenuous week.
To emphasize his team’s consistent support, the 25-year-old shared a hilarious pre-final incident involving his girlfriend Paige Lorenze and his trainer.
A day earlier Paul had taken on compatriot Taylor Fritz in the semifinals, which ended up being the longest match in Acapulco history. After the match against De Minaur, Paul revealed that his girlfriend and trainer had to blow dry his underwear in order to get him ready in time for the final.
“My team - Brad, Seba, Paige. You guys went through it with me this week. And no one really knows how much we had to do to get ready for this match,” Paul said. “I had my girlfriend and my trainer blow drying my underwear this morning, trying to get me ready.”
The American, who also made the 2023 Australian Open semifinals, then reiterated how much his team’s support meant to him.
“I just thank you guys for making everything so easy. And obviously, throughout the year, we worked really hard and I don’t say ‘thank you guys’ enough. So, thanks for being here,” Paul said.
Tommy Paul's career is heading in the right direction
Tommy Paul has been creating quite a buzz in recent times. The American, who had a junior-high ranking of No. 3 and was the 2015 boys’ French Open champion, lifted his first ATP title in 2021 at the Stockholm Open.
Paul has scored as many as six top-10 wins in the past 18 months. In 2021, he registered a victory over Andrey Rublev in Indian Wells. In 2022, the 25-year-old triumphed over Matteo Berrettini in Acapulco, Alexander Zverev in Indian Wells, and more significantly over Carlos Alcaraz in Montreal and Rafael Nadal at the Paris Masters.
Most recently, Tommy Paul was successful against World No. 5 Taylor Fritz in the semifinals of the 2023 Mexican Open in Acapulco. Paul fell just short of lifting his second career title in the final, losing to Alex de Minaur 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Nonetheless, Paul has had a great start to his 2023 campaign. He made his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, and has now reached a career-high ranking of World No. 18.
