Tommy Paul made history on Sunday, when he became the first American since Sam Querrey in 2010 to win Queen’s.
It was an emphatic victory over Lorenzo Musetti, where he overcame great hardship to brush aside the Italian, among others, on his way to the title.
Jack Draper marked a particularly difficult challenge in the quarter-finals, especially after the British number one had dumped out Carlos Alcaraz just the round earlier.
He played some electric tennis, and moved wonderfully on the turf ahead of next week’s Wimbledon.
American tennis comes together to praise Tommy Paul
Having won what was his first-ever grass-court title, Paul naturally deserves praise.
And fortunately, he always has his fellow Americans to rely on for that, with Frances Tiafoe and Coco Gauff just two of the many who sprung to his Instagram comments section to wish him well.
The former was the first to comment, simply writing: ‘Food finished’.
Meanwhile, the women’s US number one was far more regulatory in her praise: ‘Congrats!!!’
The aforementioned Querry was also found in the comments section, referring to the competition as ‘the 5th major’.
Felix Auger Aliassime was another fun of praise for Paul, who also won a title in Dallas earlier this year.
Tommy Paul will now have bold Wimbledon aspirations
Having claimed this prestigious grass-court title, and seeing how Alcaraz went on to win Wimbledon after winning this competition last year, Paul can now start justifiably dreaming big of a deep run in the upcoming Grand Slam.
However, looking back upon his record at these elite events, he has yet to really showcase the fine tennis that we all know the 27-year-old is capable of.
His deepest-ever run at a slam came in 2023, where he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, and other than that a fourth-round run at Wimbledon the year prior is his best beyond that.
It makes for painful reading, and one that does not support the suggestion that he could thrive in SW19 this year. Paul has backed Sebastian Korda do to well at Wimbledon, who he actually beat on his way to the recent final.
However, there is one big difference this year, and that is the fact that Wimbledon promises, just like Roland Garros, to be wide open.
Whilst the likes of Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will be favourites, they are not unbeatable, as has been proven in 2024.
Paul must remain confident, that this year could be his year, and winning Queen’s should have done his confidence no harm at all.
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