When Tommy Paul finishes his career, 2025 won’t be a year that he looks back on with a great deal of fondness.
In 2024, Paul won at Queen’s to claim a sizeable trophy for his collection, but 2025 hasn’t quite panned out as he anticipated it would.
After reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the French Open, Paul suffered an injury at Wimbledon, and he’s not been the same since.
Paul entered an ATP 250 event in Stockholm but was forced to withdraw with the fitness issues showing no signs of going away, with his year being curtailed early.
Despite a tricky year, Paul does have some reasons to be cheerful with one intriguing stat now emerging as his year comes to an end.
Tommy Paul has reasons to be cheerful for 2026
Paul ended his year early, much like Jack Draper, and he shouldn’t be too downbeat about his year.
That’s because, for the third year running, he’s finished in the top 20 of the ATP world rankings, which is quite remarkable.
Paul has only played five matches since July, and yet he will still finish inside the top 20 of the world, which can offer him hope for next year.
The 28-year-old will look to get some matches under his belt when the Australian swing starts in January, and he will be well rested going into the Australian Open.
Paul will still keep the opportunity to qualify for all the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events, and it’s quite impressive that he’s avoided slipping further down the rankings.
Paul is capable of mixing it with the best on his day, and it will be fascinating to see how he performs when he returns from his injury in the New Year.
Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton can give inspiration to Tommy Paul
American tennis is on the up when it comes to the men’s game, and there is genuine hope that a long wait for a Grand Slam champion from the United States can end.
Fritz and Shelton have both been knocking on the door previously, with the former reaching the US Open final in 2024.
As a result, Paul will be desperate to get back on the court and start making strides back up the world rankings, having previously been at number eight in the world.
The American players are all pushing each other, and Paul should return in January, looking to get back to competing with his compatriots on the tour.
Paul might not have hit his straps completely in 2025, but the fact that he’s maintained a top 20 ranking suggests that he’s more than capable when he does play.
With that in mind, 2026 still looks bright for the New Jersey-born star…
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