Tommy Paul confirms if he’s still feeling any pain while playing as he makes the Australian Open third round

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After a tricky 2025 campaign, Tommy Paul has made a strong start in 2026.

The American reached the semifinals of the Adelaide International before taking on his countryman Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the Australian Open.

Paul defeated Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, to book his place in the second round.

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There, he beat Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, to set up a third-round clash with Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

After his latest win, Paul revealed to the media whether he is still feeling any pain.

Tommy Paul says he is pain-free for the first time in almost a year

“I definitely am. It feels nice. I’m able to move smoother, but I’m also able to, you know, really aggressively dig in and out of the corners, which is, I mean, super important for my game to be able to turn defense to offense,” said Paul during his post-match press conference.

“It’s been a while, you know. It’s been basically, I would say, since Madrid, really, where I walked onto the court not really too worried about anything.

• Days since the 2025 Madrid Open – 266

“It’s definitely a really good feeling. It makes me feel a bit more relaxed going into the match just knowing that my body is going to be able to hold up, and I’m not really worried about anything other than my tennis. So it’s a good feeling.”

Paul was then asked about how different courts affect the way he plays.

“I mean, 13, the court that I played on for the first round, was very quick,” he said.

“I mean, that probably had a bit to do with the temperature. It was very hot that day.

“Then today was much cooler and a little bit breezier, so it felt a lot slower. But then I think back to last year playing on the court that I played on today, and that felt lightning-fast last year.

Where Tommy Paul has played at the Australian Open

“I don’t know. Some of the courts obviously vary a bit.

“I’m excited to see, you know, what court I play on next and hopefully try and get some reps in on the court before my match.

“Normally, the courts here match up with my game pretty well, so hopefully I’ll be able to adjust either way.”

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Paul will need to adjust quickly if he is to beat the 14th seed, Davidovich Fokina, in the third round.

The pair have met four times previously on the ATP Tour.

Tommy Paul and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s head-to-head record

Paul leads their head-to-head 4-0, and has already beaten Davidovich Fokina twice at the Australian Open.

Only time will tell if he can pick up another win when they face off with a place in the last-16 up for grabs on Friday, January 23.

What went wrong for Tommy Paul in 2025?

Reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last year, Paul broke into the world’s top 10.

He was unable to make much more progress, though, as his body began to let him down.

Paul picked up a foot injury during the clay-court season, which plagued him for several months.

An issue with the ‘peroneus longus tendon’ saw Paul’s level dip, but it was a further injury at Wimbledon, where he ruptured the tendon, that completely derailed his 2025 campaign.

Paul only played two tournaments after Wimbledon last year.

Tommy Paul’s post-Wimbledon form in 2025

• 2025 Cincinnati Open 2R [WIN] vs Pedro Martinez, 6-2, 6-2
• 2025 Cincinnati Open 3R [LOSS] vs Adrian Mannarino, 7-5, 3-6, 4-6
• 2025 US Open 1R [WIN] vs Elmer Moller, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
• 2025 US Open 2R [WIN] vs Nuno Borges, 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5
• 2025 US Open 3R [LOSS] vs Alexander Bublik, 6-7, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6

It remains to be seen if he can stay fit throughout 2026…