Tommy Paul has just enjoyed a magical run at the Rome Open, but was forced to watch today’s final from his armchair after being dumped out by Nicolas Jarry.
Reaching the semi-final marked a surprisingly deep stage for a player who has never really shared a great relationship with clay, and puts him in a newfound position of strength going into next week’s Roland Garros.
However, what was most impressive about the American’s performance in Italy was the manner in which he bounced back from an ankle injury sustained in March.
Having returned from that Miami setback in Madrid, with little success and clearly not feeling his best, Andy Roddick was left stunned by just how quickly he has managed to get his season back on track.
Andy Roddick praises Tommy Paul’s Rome Open run
Speaking to the Tennis Channel after the semi-final, in which the Chilean came out on top in a nail-biting final set, the former world number one was unsurprisingly complimentary of his compatriot.
After all, given Tommy Paul’s injury record, especially in 2024, such powers of recovery are to be admired.
But not only was he competent on the ankle, but he excelled, gliding across the clay and sliding with immense confidence.
It clearly worked to great effect too, helping him dump out both Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz, two of the biggest servers on tour on his way to the latter stages of the competition.
Roddick noted: ‘He’s disappointed that he lost, but there’s no conversation that ends with ‘My tennis isn’t in a better place than it was at the beginning of the week. I am playing well going into Roland Garros, I got the tournaments I needed. I’m not worried about my ankle at all anymore’.
‘The way that he was moving this tournament was fantastic. It’s a tough match-up for him, against Jarry, because he can create his own speed, Tommy can’t be just generally athletic and move him around. The match was played on Jarry’s terms unfortunately.
‘Tommy had a hell of a week.’
Could Tommy Paul go deep in Roland Garros?
Realistically, a case could be made for most in-form or top-twenty players in the men’s draw going deep at Roland Garros, such is the current makeup of the tournament.
Never before, or not at last for a few decades, have we seen it so open.
Novak Djokovic is nowhere near his best, and whilst they may well play, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are both nursing injuries.
Rafael Nadal will be present, but his fragilities have been exposed in recent weeks against the likes of Alex de Minaur and Hurkacz.
So, whilst Paul will fancy his chances after boosting his confidence in Rome, players like Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud should all also believe in themselves to do the unthinkable as well.
It promises to be a wide-open tournament, which should make for quite the spectacle for the neutral.
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