‘He Brought Me Over to His House’ – Alexander Zverev Slayer Tommy Paul Talks About Roger Federer’s Influence at Indian Wells

Tommy Paul is the talking point in Indian Wells currently. The 24-year-old American caused the upset of the tournament, knocking out the third seed, Alexander Zverev, in a three-setter thriller. Further, in the second-round contest lasting two hours and 17 minutes, Paul clinched the deciding set tiebreaker to win one of the biggest matches of his career.

Tommy Paul recounts his meeting with Roger Federer

The American tennis star had a meeting with the Swiss maestro and 20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer, in Indian Wells in 2017. Further, talking about his feelings on meeting the Swiss legend, he said, “I mean, it’s awesome. In the Indian Wells, I wasn’t even playing the tournament. I was just there practicing.”

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Moreover, he added, “He brought me over to his house. We had, like a practice in his house. I went out to lunch with him and his family. It’s just cool, you can, like pick his brain, talk to him, and it’s always unbelievable talking with someone that knows that much about tennis.”

Paul thwarts Zverev’s comeback bid

The American started his match against Alexander Zverev in a dominating fashion. Moreover, he broke the German’s serve in the opening game of the first set. Further, Paul was strong in his service games and didn’t let his higher-ranked opponent settle in the match. Paul served out the first set comfortably to win the opening set 6-2.

However, in the second set, Zverev regained his composure. The two players held their serves until the tenth game of the second set. Serving to stay in the second set, the American’s serve was broken by Zverev as the match leveled one-set all, with Zverev winning the second set 6-4.

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The deciding set was a keenly fought affair, with both the players aiming to gain an upper hand in the match. After failing to hold his serve in the sixth game of the third set, the American broke back immediately. Subsequently, the match entered the tie-breaker. However, Tommy Paul breezed through the tie-breaker, knocking out the third seed.

He will next take on Alex de Minaur. Further, can Paul dig deep in Indian Wells this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.