Tommy Paul’s comments on US tennis from 2023 already could not look more outdated as Americans thrive at Roland Garros

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Tommy Paul produced a stunning display early on Sunday to come through his last-16 match against Alexei Popyrin at the French Open.

It’s the first time that Paul has reached this stage of the Roland Garros tournament and now faces Carlos Alcaraz after he defeated Ben Shelton this evening.

Paul has become the only active USA star to reach a quarter-final on each surface, and with how he’s playing, he will fancy giving Alcaraz a decent game.

The pair met at Wimbledon last year, with Alcaraz emerging victorious and the odds will once again be stacked in his favour ahead of the last eight clash here.

It’s great to see American tennis back on the up, however, with Paul now potentially feeling very foolish over some comments he made back in 2023.

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Tommy Paul comments from 2023 now look very silly

Maybe Paul was trying to try a reverse psychology approach back in 2023 when he made a pretty scathing claim about tennis in the United States.

In 2023, with American tennis stars really struggling to showcase that they had what it takes to win big titles and climb the rankings, he took aim at the sport in the United States.

He said: “Tennis is probably the 20th most popular sport in the United States.

“Nobody cares and we still have two players in the top 10. So it’s a good thing we’re at the top of the game. I mean all of our best athletes play other sports, so that’s our excuse, I suppose.”

Tommy Paul proved badly wrong about United States tennis

There is a growing belief that it won’t be long before a player from the United States wins a Grand Slam title and gets back in the winner’s circle at one of the major tournaments.

Three American men reaching the last 16 of this tournament hadn’t been done since 1995, and the hope will be that Paul can get himself to a first major final before the tournament is over.

Taylor Fritz, Seb Korda and Frances Tiafoe are all very capable players and the likes of Ethan Quinn and Learner Tien have offered hope that the future is bright for players coming through on the tour.

Paul might have been trying to issue a typically American rallying cry with his words in 2023, but given how healthy the men’s game looks in the United States right now, it’s fair to say that people do care about tennis.