It was the 2003 US Open, when American fans were hoping for a repeat of the previous year’s show where local favorite Pete Sampras clinched the title. The tournament didn’t disappoint as it saw the emergence of another home-grown winner, Andy Roddick. The former World Number 1 stunned one and all with his fantastic display at the tournament. He defeated Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in the summit clash to win his maiden Grand Slam title. Exactly 20 years after Roddick’s historic feat, compatriot Tommy Paul reminisced about his victory.

Paul is in Toronto to participate in the National Bank Open. Earlier today, he caused the upset of the tournament, knocking out top seed Carlos Alcaraz in an epic 3-set match. Following his victory, he talked about his idol, Roddick’s historic feat.

Tommy Paul gets candid on Andy Roddick ahead of US Open

During the post-match interview after his quarterfinal win over Alcaraz, the 26-year-old was asked if he recollected Roddick’s win, given that it has been two decades since the historic feat. Paul was just six years old at that time and he candidly replied that he wasn’t aware of the two-decade anniversary of Roddick’s win.

Further, Paul went on to talk about his idol and the impact he has had on his career. Talking about this, he said, ” he was definitely one of
my idols growing up, but I couldn’t say I really tried to play like him or model my game after him.”

Subsequently, he also opened up about his idol’s peculiar quality, saying, “And it’s really cool how those guys would have such big holes in their game and be able to hide it, similar to Roddick. Like, he didn’t have a great backhand. He would hide it with his slice. I mean, it’s easy to hold serve when you have Roddick’s serve.”

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Paul is enjoying the best seasons of his tennis career. He’s going strong at the ongoing Canadian Open and will be oozing confidence as he steps onto the court in the semifinals.

Who will Paul face next?

With a spot in the top-4 booked, the American star will face the challenge of Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the semifinal of the Canadian Open. The two have faced each other twice with one win apiece. It will be their first meeting this year. Sinner and Paul enter the last-4 with almost identical score lines over Monfils and Alcaraz, respectively.

Who will prevail in this pulsating encounter? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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