AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2025

Tommy Paul

Press Conference

T. PAUL/K. Nishikori

6-7, 6-0, 6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Congrats, Tommy. We know how good Kei can hit on the court, and he did so well in the first set. How did you manage to come back in the last three?

TOMMY PAUL: I think Kei played at a very, very fast speed. He was controlling the points, and when he was doing that, he was controlling the match. He was winning all those points. So I tried to do everything I could to get out of defense.

Then also, after the first set, I looked at the stats and saw that my second serve points won was really bad because he was attacking so well on my second serve. So I had to get my first-serve percentage up.

Those were the main things I was focusing on.

Q. We know that Kei used to be top-10 level player. What do you think his level is right now? What kind of challenges has he posed to you tonight?

TOMMY PAUL: I think at points in the match he was playing super well. I don't know how I'm going to put a number next to it, but he was playing at top-level tennis for some games.

Especially there, like midway through the third set, he made me feel like the pace of my ball was slow. And he played such fast speed and changed directions a lot, it was difficult to deal with.

Q. What kind of challenges are you looking for in your next round, and how will you deal with it?

TOMMY PAUL: I'm going to go back and watch some of his matches. I haven't played him in a long time. I think I've only played him once. I know he's a grinder. He's got a lot of heart. He's been playing well.

So I'm looking forward to playing that match.