Tommy Paul’s candid assessment, “Tennis is probably the 20th most popular sport in the United States. Nobody cares,” certainly stirred conversation during the 2023 American hardcourt season. While he’s now a recognizable figure, Paul’s rise to prominence was a gradual process. As a junior, he reached two Grand Slam boys’ singles finals in 2015 and achieved a No. 3 ranking. However, it took him nearly four years to break into the top 100, a level he has consistently maintained since. Paul’s true breakthrough on the professional tour occurred earlier this year, when he entered the top 10 for the first time after his quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open against Alexander Zverev. This achievement significantly boosted his popularity among fans, but there’s a caveat.

Paul, ranked 11, started dating American influencer Lorenze Paige in 2022. Obviously, it wouldn’t be strange if the community recognized the entrepreneur as ‘the girl who is dating Paul’ but, at the Indian Wells Masters, the roles were hilariously switched.

On Wednesday, March 12, Paul locked horns with Russian Daniil Medvedev for a place in the last eight. During the high-octane contest, the authorities tapped into the most amusing one-liners from fans. From the looks of it, one fan from the crowd seemingly did not recall Paul’s name and, instead, hilariously remarked – “I think that guy is Paige’s boyfriend.”

This later earned a wholesome reaction from his influencer girlfriend, who commented on the post with a string of laughing and red heart emojis.

For those unaware, the fourth-round contest between the duo saw Meddy prevail in straight sets to repeat the result of their semifinal showdown at the event last year. However, the Russian trailblazer acknowledged his rival’s formidability during his on-court interview and remarked on the stiff competition he faced. “We’ve actually had up and down matches so far that we’ve played. The first one was really close, then he beat me easy and now I managed to beat him a bit easier,” said the fifth seed, who lost to Paul last year in Rome.

As for Paul, his compatriots recently expressed immense faith in his survival skills. During a light-hearted questionnaire in Tennis Paradise, Americans Taylor Fritz, Emma Navarro, and Ben Shelton picked the 27-year-old as their go-to partner if they ever found themselves stuck in the Californian desert. “I’ll be stuck in the desert with Tommy. He’s kind of like a nature boy. He could probably find us some food and maybe build a shelter, spoke Navarro.

However, as things stand, Paul’s ride-or-die is his influencer girlfriend. A competitive skier, Paige also runs her lifestyle brand Dairy Boy. In its latest achievement, the label collaborated with Indian Wells and prompted her to address a rather trending topic.

Tommy Paul’s girlfriend opens up about WAGs on the tour

American star Tommy Paul’s high-profile relationship is one of many on the professional circuit. His countryman Taylor Fritz is currently in a relationship with influencer Morgan Riddle while Aussie troublemaker Nick Kyrgios has been romantically involved with another social media content creator, Costeen Hatzi. With the growing number of wives and girlfriends (WAGs) accompanying their respective lovers for tournaments, Paul’s girlfriend Paige spoke to ‘Forbes’ about the evolution of WAGs.

“I am so happy about the evolution because we are much more than just women on the sidelines… The WAGs I’m close with are ambitious, hardworking and deeply supportive, not only of their partners but also of each other.” She later expressed it can be taxing being a tennis WAG.

“While tennis can appear glamorous, the reality is that it requires immense personal and professional sacrifice, much of which goes unseen… I hope to see a continued evolution of the WAG in 2025, as 2024 was a pivotal year for us all,” she added.

Following Paul’s disheartening exit from the Masters 1000 event, the American player might take some time off to recover and prepare ahead of the clay court season, leading to the French Open in May.