Tommy Paul’s Australian Open campaign is going exactly as planned.
The 27-year-old has accomplished a feat he’s been grinding towards for a decade. Arriving in Melbourne ranked a career-high No. 11, he had one goal: to “leave here top 10,” he said during an interview with the AO Bluezone.
By earning a berth in the AO 2025 men’s singles quarterfinals, he’s guaranteed a place in the sport’s top echelon when rankings are released next Monday.
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It's been a long time coming for the AO 2023 semifinalist, who has earned upsets over the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and the now-retired Rafael Nadal. His commitment to becoming a complete, all-court player has been commended by coach Brad Stine, best known for providing to counsel to Jim Courier en route to four majors and the world No. 1 ranking, and for helping steer Kevin Anderson to the 2018 Wimbledon final and the world No. 5 ranking.
The low-key right-hander spends the pre-season training – and during down time, fishing – in Boca Raton, Florida, a factor that helps Paul able to more quickly acclimatise to the Australian summer than most of his European rivals. His love for the Melbourne Park courts is evidenced by a 14-5 win-loss record.
If he can add another victory to that tally by upsetting second seed Alexander Zverev in Tuesday’s quarterfinal, extending an unbeaten 2-0 record against the German, Paul will become the 18th American man in the Open Era to reach an AO quarterfinal more than once.
If he can navigate past a yet-to-be decided semifinal opponent, he’d achieve an even bigger feat: becoming the first American to reach an AO men’s singles final since Andre Agassi triumphed in 2003.
But Paul isn’t alone in his pursuit of history. Three other Americans are chasing quarterfinal berths of their own: Ben Shelton, Alex Michelsen and Lerner Tien, not necessarily the trio of Paul’s countrymen that a pundit would have predicted on the tournament’s eve.
After fourth seed Taylor Fritz fell to resurgent Frenchmen Gael Monfils in the third round, 17th seed Frances Tiafoe’s five-set loss to Fabian Marozsan in the second round, the same stage which 22nd seed Sebastian Korda was bounced, Paul is the highest-ranked US men’s player standing.
His top-50 compatriots Brandon Nakashima, Marcos Giron and Reilly Opelka – competing using a protected ranking of 33 and fresh off an upset over Novak Djokovic at the Brisbane International – all checked out before the second week.
Being atop the pack of American men isn’t a role Paul is used to playing, although it’s one he assumed in July after winning a title at London’s Queen’s Club, sending his ranking briefly above Fritz’s.
“I'm just kind of in my lane trying to get better every day,” he said on Sunday, admitting that being the top American likely comes with extra pressure.
“He's held it well, handled it well,” Paul said of Fritz, who quickly reassumed the top spot.
Despite the rivalry, there’s nothing but good vibes between the duo, who met as juniors and last year, shared a room at the Paris Olympics where they won the men’s doubles bronze medal and later described each other as best friends.
Along with Tiafoe and Opelka, they’ve led by example and pushed each other up the rankings, urging one another towards upsets against icons of the sport. Asked in an interview to share their biggest wish for each other, Paul and Fritz answered without hesitation: to win a Grand Slam.
At the year’s first major, it’s Paul – the elder of the pair by five months – who can make that dream a reality. The New Jersey-born 12th seed has his sights on reaching the final weekend, matching a goal that Fritz kicked first, when the Californian earned silverware as the runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the US Open in September.
Paul himself has become familiar with finals. In 2024, he clinched titles in Dallas and Stockholm in addition to Queen’s, and was a finalist at Delray Beach. With partying days simply a phase of the past, the 27-year-old is intent on doing everything in his power to ensure success.
“There's a lot more structure in my life,” said the self-professed steak fan, who occasionally trades a breakfast of eggs for pancakes or French toast – but only on a cheat day.
After triumphing in a five-set four-hour marathon over Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in the opening round, the American decided to use his rest days wisely.
“I did something a little different where I haven't practiced on the days in between my matches at all,” said Paul, who has spent 10 hours and 31 minutes on court through his first four rounds.
“Taking care of your body is so important. You want to go on the court for these three-out-of-five set matches willing and able to play five.
“Staying physical from the first point of the match to the last point of the match is huge, that's what gives me a bit of an edge.”