Tommy Paul says what’s ‘weird’ about his relationship with other American players after reaching Queen’s quarter-finals

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Tommy Paul, like many of his male compatriots, has enjoyed a solid 2024 thus far.

However, there have been no exceptional standout performances, despite himself, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz all having secured a title each.

If anything, the former’s run to the Rome Masters semi-final has marked the most exceptional spell of results of them all, and with two Grand Slams down, this American representation needs to start doing more to challenge properly for these elite events.

Fortunately, with Wimbledon and the US Open coming in the next few months, the opportunity is there to step up in what promises to be two wide-open Grand Slam draws.

The hope is that their shared rivalry can help spur them on to greater results.

Tommy Paul reveals what it’s like playing other American players

Having beaten Alejandro Tabilo in the Round of 16, Paul had reason to be pleased with his performance.

After all, it saw him reach the quarter-final of the prestigious Queen’s competition, just a week after he got to that same stage in Rosmalen too.

However, interest was not quite on their specific match, but instead on the heavy American presence still left in the draw.

Were it not for Brandon Nakashima’s loss to Lorenzo Musetti, there would have been one US tennis player in each round of the quarter-finals.

Asked about the rivalry between all American players, he admitted it was weird, but helped them all thrive: ‘It’s competitive – but in a pretty healthy way.

‘We’re not like smack talking each other, but if we do, it’s kinda like a joke. I think we all want each other to win, but we want to do better than the next guy. It’s pretty healthy.

‘It’s weird – but it’s fun. I hate playing them first round of the tournament, I hate playing them in the second round.

‘But if we’re in the semi-finals of a big tournament, the finals of a big tournament – that’s what we’ve been dreaming of since we were young, so I don’t mind that.’

This came after Tommy Paul played a practise set against Andy Murray, before the latter retired from Queen’s through injury.

What American players could perform well at Wimbledon?

There is a whole host of Americans that could do well at Wimbledon, but it almost feels like it will be more dependent on them gaining a fortunate draw than forging their own path.

Sebastian Korda stands out as the man in the finest form on the grass, having reached the final in Rosmalen last week, and impressed again at Queen’s more recently.

However, last year saw him reach the semi-finals of the latter competition, losing only to Carlos Alcaraz, and then he was dumped out in the first round of Wimbledon.

Shelton is another who should perform well in SW19, with his dynamic and big-serving style conducive to grass.

And yet, he has been exited in the first round of both grass-court competitions already this season.

Fritz narrowly remains the number one American, but has only surpassed the third round at Wimbledon once before, and going even further down the rankings, Frances Tiafoe’s form and fitness seems to be failing him ahead of the third Grand Slam of the season.

Admittedly, it is not looking great for the Americans at Wimbledon, hence why a deep run will likely only come if one of them can find some consistency and avoid the likes of Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz.