US OPEN

August 31, 2024

Tommy Paul

Press Conference

T. PAUL/G. Diallo

6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Tommy, your thoughts on the match.

TOMMY PAUL: A lot of ups and downs. Obviously wish I would have just consolidated my breaks and served a little better. But it was, I don't know, kind of felt weird out there. I felt like we both returned really well, but once we got into rallies we were both a little uncomfortable, which isn't normally the case.

So, yeah, definitely a super-tricky match. Probably weird for a lot of people that were watching.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Tommy, with all the opportunity available with some of the big names being knocked out, does that create more pressure? Did you feel that going out there, that this is such an opportunity that you really want to get your game together?

TOMMY PAUL: Well, I mean, I play the No. 1 in the world tomorrow, so I don't know if I'm thinking, like, "opportunity" too much. But it's definitely an opportunity to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the next round, so I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, we've all watched, or at least I watched the last two night sessions.

I mean, those guys stepped up and played awesome tennis. Different parts of the draws have opened up, but mine has not (smiling). I have a tough match ahead of me, but I'm excited for it.

Q. Like you said, that was a strange match. The first set had trouble finding your game. Was it never having played him before, you think? Was it Armstrong, or what accounted for you not quite being as good in the first set as you were in the second and third?

TOMMY PAUL: Good question. I'm not really sure. Like I said, we both, I thought we both returned really well. I didn't get as many free points on my serve as I would have liked. And from the ground, I just wasn't as solid as I would have liked. I need to clean some things up. I'll get back out on the practice court tomorrow and clean some things up with my footwork and getting to the net. I didn't get to the net as much as I would have liked.

But at least I know what I need to work on tomorrow (smiling).

Q. So what are you doing and what's going through your mind when you're in a match where, let's face it, you're playing probably, let's say, as poorly as you have played in a while? I mean...

TOMMY PAUL: I don't know. I didn't play too well in Cincy.

Q. But, I mean, considering the opponent and everything, like, what are you telling yourself to try to get yourself through this and sort of survive? It's the baseball saying is they all look line drives on the scoreboard.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I mean, every point, one point at a time. In those moments, you're just trying to keep a clear head. Everything can kind of feel like it's coming at you really fast, and every point is happening really fast.

I think my team did a good job. I mean, I relied on them quite a bit. Told me to slow down or clear your mind or whatever it was.

Yeah, I mean, it was a weird situation. I mean, the conditions couldn't have been much better. There was no wind, no sun, playing on a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium. Obviously I wish I would have played a little better on my service games, but I'm sure he would say the same thing.

He played great on my service games, and he makes it uncomfortable for me to play. His forehand, he really hits the outside of the ball, so every time he hits it, it's curving away from you. And then the backhand, he hits a nice flat ball. Two very opposite balls on both sides or on both wings of his.

Yeah, I mean, just tricky.

Q. You rolled your eyes at the end there.

TOMMY PAUL: After the match? I was just happy to be done. Happy to be done (smiling).

Those matches, they're not the most fun when you're on the court, but those are the matches that are, like tonight I'm going to be happier than when I play perfect. Those matches feel better after.

Q. You mentioned playing the No. 1 person in the world, and it's somebody you have played before. What are your thoughts about the matches you have had with Jannik already, and where do things stand right now for this next matchup?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, we've had some great matches. I remember I played him on clay, had some match points against him. Then the last match, I think it was in Toronto, he played awesome. I didn't feel like I did too much wrong. He kind of took the racquet out of my hands. I'm definitely going to try and, you know, make it uncomfortable for him.

I'm not, from the baseline, I wouldn't say I'm a better ball striker than him, so I definitely got to impose my game on him and try and play my tennis more than his tennis.

Q. Can you just elaborate on that last point. For somebody who's never been facing him, what does that boil down to? "His tennis," what are you referring to?

TOMMY PAUL: The bang-bang tennis from the baseline. Like I said, he's probably the best ball striker on tour, and I'm not. I don't want to go toe to toe just banging on the baseline with him. I want to try and mix things up.

Q. You talked a little earlier, mentioned in passing, the idea of being an American playing here. I'm just wondering, can you describe how that manifests itself during a match? How does that change things? How does it help you, if it does, in terms of actually within points or within a match, momentum-wise, adrenaline-wise, things like that?

TOMMY PAUL: It makes it more fun. You know, you have the crowd behind you. You know, obviously most of the matches here, when you're an American and you're playing a foreign guy, you're going to have the crowd support on your side. Momentum plays a big role.

I was down a double break there in the fourth set, and once I got one back, it kind of felt like, you know, momentum was building, and it wasn't just me. It was me and the crowd kind of building up as I started winning more and more points on my serve and more and more points on his serve. Then you kind of get a roll going.

Q. Tommy, obviously you have been playing tennis your whole life. Now you get to play the No. 1 player in the world on the No. 1 Court in the world, US Open, Labor Day. Give me one word that captures that moment.

TOMMY PAUL: Exciting, I guess, for lack of a better word. No, I mean, you know, it's what we train for our whole lives. I've been playing tennis, like you said, my whole life. To be in these situations, to be on that court, to play the best players in the world. I'm definitely excited.

Q. Curious if you saw any of Carlos and Novak's matches.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah.

Q. What you thought about them. Obviously we're talking about Olympic fatigue, but you were at the Olympics the whole week and I'm curious if you're feeling more tired than maybe in previous years.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, to answer your first question, I did watch the matches. Last night I was kind of hoping that it would end a little earlier, because I wanted to go to sleep. Today was the first day I used an alarm clock the whole tournament.

Yeah, I mean, like I said earlier, I think the guys that played Alcaraz and Novak both stepped up and played awesome.

But, yeah, I mean, I feel like I had the Olympic fatigue, I guess at the right time, in Canada and Cincy, but now I'm feeling pretty good. I had a nice little reset. Yeah, it's a tough turnaround. Like, we never go from grass to clay to hard so quickly.

But I don't want to take anything away from those guys. I mean, they earned those wins and they played awesome tennis. I'm happy for them. And, you know, Carlos and Novak have won quite a few tournaments, so I don't feel too bad, I guess. (Laughter.)

Q. You're asked basically every tournament about all the other Americans. How nice is it to have four of you guys in the fourth round? How much are you able to pay attention to that during the tournament?

TOMMY PAUL: No, I mean, it's amazing. I wish we had ten guys, but it's fun watching them. Obviously the match yesterday, I hope that you guys watched that with Ben and Foe. That was an amazing match. I think there's going to be a lot more of those in the next, you know, five to ten years.

We have a great group of guys, and Nakashima is stepping up. I mean, he's been playing awesome. He really has.

You know, it's exciting. It's an exciting time. You know, we all want to do really, really well here. We all want to make it to the last weekend. You know, hopefully at some point we're playing each other in the last weekend.