Tommy Paul Eyeing Deep Run At U.S. Open: ‘Annoying’ It Hasn’t Happened Yet

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 27: Tommy Paul hits a forehand during believe against Toby Samuel during Fan Week arsenic portion of the 2026 US Open astatine USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center connected Thursday, August 27, 2026 successful Flushing, NY. (Photo by Pete Staples/USTA via Getty Images)

USTA via Getty Images

Tommy Paul wants to make a heavy tally astatine this U.S. Open.

The 29-year-old newly-married American has watched successful caller years arsenic his chap apical Americans person gone heavy into the tie astatine their location Slam while he has ne'er precocious past the 4th round.

Taylor Fritz made the U.S. Open last successful 2024. Frances Tiafoe (2022 and '24) and Ben Shelton (2023) person each made the semis successful caller years.

But while Paul has reached astatine slightest the quarterfinals astatine each different Slam, making the semis of the Australian Open successful 2023, he has ne'er gone past the information of 16 successful New York.

“We’ve seen ‘Foe play astonishing tennis successful New York, we’ve seen Fritz make finals, we cognize Ben tin play astonishing tennis successful New York," Paul, the No. 20 seed successful this year’s draw, said successful a caller exclusive interview. "I’ve only made [the] 4th information truthful evidently I’ve sewage to measurement up to drawback up to those guys successful New York. It’s annoying that it hasn’t happened, but I don’t spot why it can’t happen.”

Paul, 29, will statesman play during the time convention connected Sunday successful Louis Armstrong Stadium against Coleman Wong, a autochthonal of Hong Kong classed No. 94 successful the world who trained astatine the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy.

The tie looks beautiful bully for Paul to get to a imaginable fourth-round matchup pinch defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is returning to the singles tribunal for the first clip since suffering a wrist wounded successful April.

Alcaraz is 6-2 vs. Paul, but Paul has 2 wins complete Alcaraz connected outdoor hardcourts.

“I emotion Tommy Paul getting done location and that’s the matchup that I deliberation could really trial Carlos Alcaraz,” ESPN’s James Blake, a erstwhile world No. 4, said connected aerial aft the tie came out. “And we tin spot wherever is that wrist, wherever is the fitness, really is he emotion because Tommy Paul will push you.”

Blake added: “Tommy Paul tin play physical. He’s 1 of the fittest players connected tour, he tin get to truthful galore balls, he’s 1 of the champion movers, he’s really sewage an all-around crippled [and] tin do everything. He’s comfortable moving forward. He’s comfortable playing defense, truthful he tin origin Carlos immoderate problems. He tin unit Carlos to person to play well. He whitethorn not overpower him but he tin unit Carlos to play his champion tennis.”

Mary Joe Fernandez besides pointed to Paul arsenic a difficult imaginable force for Alcaraz.

“When Alcaraz is astatine his best, Tommy Paul is 1 of the guys that stays pinch him because of that speed, because of really good he moves astir the court," she said. "He is simply a beingness subordinate truthful I would really beryllium willing if that were to beryllium a matchup successful the 4th round.”

Paul, who was calved successful Voorhees Township, N.J. earlier moving to North Carolina arsenic a youngster, has been successful New York each week training and playing Mixed doubles pinch partner Emma Navarro.

Last year, his trainer, Franco Herrero, recommended Dymatize, a well-known marque of sports nutrition supplements and since past he’s exclusively been utilizing their ISO100 macromolecule powder and ready-to-drink macromolecule shakes to substance up and thief him recover.

“We’ve perfectly loved moving pinch [Dymatize] and he brought it to maine and we’ve perfectly loved moving pinch them, and we emotion the product,” he said. “The ISO100, we usage it each day, we return it connected the road…We utilized it each time for betterment and musculus building.”

To activity his measurement into the singles draw, Paul played successful the Mixed Doubles arena pinch chap American Navarro. They hit chap Americans Learner Tien and Amanda Anisimova successful the first information connected Tuesday, earlier falling to eventual champions Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova successful the quarters.

Asked connected tribunal really their business came together, Paul said, “I benignant of bullied her into it, honestly.”

“Yeah, a little,” said Navarro pinch a wry smile. “I was happy to beryllium bullied into it.”

Paul is besides playing successful New York arsenic a joined man for the first time.

He and longtime partner Paige Lorenze were joined astatine Old Westbury Gardens connected Long Island connected July 14. Fritz, Tiafoe and Reilly Opelka were portion of the wedding party, while others astatine the festivities included Ethan Quinn, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson.

Via Vogue:

Asked if joined life has changed his attack to tennis, Paul said:

“I don’t know, I don’t consciousness for illustration I’ve played capable tournaments to reply that question. It was for illustration the champion day, champion week of my life. It was truthful overmuch fun. It felt for illustration it flew by and past adjacent point I knew I’m playing tournaments again.”

Now Paul is focused connected a singles tie that is devoid of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, out pinch a knee injury, and 1 that includes a immense mobility people successful Alcaraz, who hasn’t played since April.

Novak Djokovic, the 24-time awesome champion, besides mislaid successful the first information successful Cincinnati and is 39 years old.

The mobility marks astatine the apical of tie unfastened it up for an American man to triumph a awesome for the first clip since Andy Roddick successful 2003.

That intends guys for illustration Shelton, Fritz, Tiafoe and Paul are dreaming of large things crossed the adjacent 2 weeks.

Paul has logic for confidence. He earned a triumph complete apical seed and Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev successful the quarters successful Cincinnati earlier falling to French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli successful the quarters.

“This is simply a monster opportunity [for the Americans],” Patrick McEnroe said connected a caller ESPN telephone pinch reporters. "Shelton had different large triumph successful Canada. Fritz has been beautiful stone coagulated this summer. A batch of matches nether his belt. Let's propulsion Frances Tiafoe successful the operation aft getting to the last successful Cincinnati. He thrives pinch the New York crowd.

"Tommy Paul is surely capable. I'd put Shelton arsenic the apical guy. For me, he's the champion chance pinch his serve. I liked what I saw from him a batch successful Canada. I thought the return crippled looked a batch better. To me, that's ever been the point that he's sewage to amended upon the astir if he wants to triumph 1 of these large ones.

“Not only for the Americans, but Zverev who has gotten the proverbial monkey disconnected the backmost by winning Paris. He'll beryllium a big-time threat.”

Paul said his attack successful New York will beryllium to transmission his past frustrations while simultaneously trying to enactment successful the present.

“Early connected successful my career, I deliberation I put a batch of unit connected myself to do good location and I think…I put excessively overmuch unit connected myself,” he said of the Open. “And erstwhile I sewage my first triumph there, I felt for illustration I had a large weight lifted disconnected my shoulders. So my mindset is not to put excessively overmuch unit connected myself, but astatine the aforesaid clip I request to usage my past results location arsenic motivation. And each clip we spell to New York, we’re motivated.”

He added: "It is the U.S. Open and I’m an American tennis player. That’s wherever we want to play well. Unfortunately, my champion consequence location is [the] 4th information and maine and cipher connected squad is adjacent to satisfied pinch that.

"We want to spell successful this twelvemonth and do amended than that. We want to play successful rounds that extremity successful ‘finals,’ quarterfinals, semifinals, finals.

“We ever joke astir that. And besides it’s the only Slam that I haven’t made quarterfinals, truthful it’s a large extremity of mind to do good there.”