Born on May 17, 1997, in Voorhees Township in New Jersey, American tennis star Tommy Paul has a very interesting story. Although he won the 2015 French Open boys’ singles title by defeating his compatriot Taylor Fritz in the final by three sets, Paul once admitted that he didn’t enjoy tennis until he was 21 years old. “When I was young, I had very difficult moments in my relationship with tennis. I saw myself making many sacrifices without achieving the expected results.” However, with time, he began to realize that tennis was not only a job but also something that made him have fun. So, that’s how his journey started. After that, he reached the SF of the AO in 2023, and then, Paul also clinched a bronze medal in the doubles event at the Paris Olympics last year. Earlier this year, he also reached his career-high ranking of number 9. But has his coach, Brad Stine, ever predicted this massive rise?

Previously, while talking about his tennis goals, Tommy Paul revealed, “I believe I have a lot more to do. My main goal is to reach the top 5 and win more important tournaments than those I already have in my record. I will never be satisfied; I want more, and my goal is to improve every day to aim for very high levels of success.“

Highlighting his incredible work ethic, Stine, who has been with Paul since 2020, had once claimed, “It’s very easy to be with Tommy. From a professional point of view, he is very easy to train. He is willing to work and dedicate time. But off the court too, he is a person with whom it’s very easy to spend time and fun to be with. And that makes it pleasant. Most of the time, work doesn’t seem like work.” But recalling a few moments when Paul had cracked into the top 100 for the very first time in his career, he confessed, “I wasn’t sure by any means that Tommy would get much higher than top 50. I said in my mind, ‘If I get him top 35, then we are crushing it.’“

Talking about Tommy Paul’s struggles in his early days: Brad Stine said that when Paul was younger, he used to struggle with maintaining his concentration levels and focus over a long time. He revealed that the tennis star used to get lost in large periods of matches in those days. How did he manage to bring Paul back on the right track from there? “My goal for him is to show up for practice every single day and be able to sustain his focus and level of training for longer and longer and longer periods of time. If he can, that’s going to translate to being able to in the matches too,” said Stine.

Following his recent win over Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round of the 2025 French Open, Paul was spotted showering praise on his coach. He said, “He was the one who really pushed me to get there. I can’t say enough nice things about him as a guy or as a coach. And I don’t know, he just has a really good tennis IQ, like he sees stuff that I don’t even feel when I’m on court, and we take that to the practice court. So I trust him wholeheartedly in everything that he sees while I play. We’ll have arguments every now and then, but for the most part, I mean, he’s spot on.“

Brad Stine has played a crucial role in shaping Tommy Paul up as a better player, but can he help him become the best version of himself when he takes on the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, in the next match? Time will tell! But, before that, let’s check out what both these tennis stars had to say ahead of this enticing QF clash.

“His level is really high…” Carlos Alcaraz highlights the possible threat against Tommy Paul

Tommy Paul and Carlos Alcaraz have crossed paths six times in their careers as of now. But the Spaniard got the edge against him four times. Last year, after facing defeat at the hands of the Spaniard, Paul explained why, despite his poor record, he loves playing against Alcaraz. “The serve is always the most important shot in men’s tennis. I will have to serve very well in my next match, but the return will also be important. We both have an aggressive style of play; he is extremely aggressive. He entertains the crowd, and it is a lot of fun to play against him if I have to be honest.“

Now, recently, after reaching the QF of a Grand Slam event for the fourth time in his career (also the first time at Roland Garros), Tommy Paul was spotted sharing his thoughts about their previous encounter at the Paris Olympics. “We actually played here not even a year ago at the Olympics. I feel like I played a decent match. I know a lot of things that I could have done better, and I had a couple of set points, I think, in the second set. I ended up losing in straights. Obviously, the guy can play amazing tennis here, defending champion and everything.” 

However, this time he claims that he has come up with “some good new ideas.” What does Alcaraz have to say about this match? Well, the Spaniard has a high regard for the American. He said, “I remember that every match that I’ve played against him, he was really tough. His level is really high right now. He has a lot of confidence. I think for the people, it’s going to be a really interesting match to watch, because every time we play against each other, we raise our level to the top as well. We make really good rallies, good points. So I think it’s going to be great to watch as well.” With his incredible performances in the last few months, Tommy Paul will yet again sneak into the Top 10 after the French Open. But can he win the big title by overcoming these massive hurdles on his road to the final?