In his first main draw appearance at the All-England Club, 25-year-old American Tommy Paul has proven to be a real threat in the men’s singles draw.
Paul, who came into this year having not played a match on grass since 2019, had a fairly strong grass circuit leading up to Wimbledon. He took down Denis Shapovalov at the Cinch Championships and Jannik Sinner at Rothesay International.
The #30 overall seed has yet to drop a set in his first three matches at Wimbledon. He has taken down Fernando Verdasco, Adrian Mannarino, and Jiri Vesely along the way. The wins against Mannarino and Vesely were especially impressive as both veterans have a strong history on the lawn of the All England Club. Through three matches, Paul has hit just 11 aces but has tallied 75 total winners.
Paul is having a career year on the ATP Tour but has yet to translate that success to the Slams. That has changed this week as the New Jersey native has reached the second week at a Slam for the first time in his career.
Paul does not have the height and power of the prototypical American player, but his aggressive style of play paired with his on-court speed has been a problem for his opponents this week. As Paul continues to gain confidence, his attacking groundstrokes put his opponents into very precarious situations. He has found a comfortability on the grass that makes him a player that no one wants to see going forward.
Looking ahead to Round 4, Tommy Paul will take on the winner of #9 Cameron Norrie and Steve Johnson. Paul and Norrie have split their four career meetings. Norrie won their most recent matchup 6-3 6-3 earlier this season in Delray Beach. Johnson won his only matchup against Paul back in 2018.
Should he get by Norrie/Johnson, Paul would take on the winner of Frances Tiafoe and David Goffin in the quarterfinals. The early exodus of seeded players has opened the door for many players, including Paul. The American is on a dream run during the 2022 Championships at Wimbledon. He has a great opportunity to play his way deep into what has turned into a very open men’s draw.
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