Tommy Paul tasted a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of his Serbian opponent, Miomir Kecmanović, in the third round of the Australian Open. Despite being one game away from winning the match, the American tennis star ended up on the losing side in a five-set thriller, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 0-6. Many would have thought of this setback as a deterrent for any player, but this is not the case with Paul, according to his recent disclosures.
The former number 12 player recently secured a place in the semifinals of his home tournament, the Indian Wells Masters. After a stellar quarterfinal victory, Paul recently opened up about how his Australian Open defeat now serves as motivation for him on the court.
In his post-match press conference at the BNP Paribas Open, the American player revealed that he has bounced back from his disappointing third-round defeat at Melbourne Park. He said, “Sometimes the painful endings are exactly what you need. I mean, obviously after that match it hurt really bad, and I was pissed. I flew back to the States. I stopped in LA for a couple days, and I was right back to work. I was practicing, hitting up people in LA to practice, like, the day after that match.”
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🎙️Tommy Paul about how he bounced back from the R3 Australian Open defeat
"Sometimes the painful endings are exactly what you need. I mean, obviously after that match it hurt really bad, and I was pissed. I flew back to the States. I stopped in LA for a couple days, and I was… pic.twitter.com/QgMShi4rlu
— Mario Boccardi (@marioboc17) March 15, 2024
While talking about his mental fortitude, Tommy Paul also disclosed how he made a quick return to the court right after his Australian Open defeat. The ATP player stated, “People were kind of, why are you back on the court already? But I was super motivated to get back to work after that match.”
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Tommy Paul added, “Like I said, sometimes it’s the best thing that could happen. I came back and was really motivated to get back to work.” As he used his disappointing defeat as motivation, Paul made a triumphant run in the very next tournament after the Grand Slam.
Tommy Paul’s title-winning run at the Dallas Open
After his Australian Open defeat, Tommy Paul was back on the court at his home tournament, the Dallas Open, where he was the second-seeded participant. In his initial round of games, the American player brushed aside the likes of Taro Daniel and Dominik Koepfer in straight sets.
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Paul then overcame his compatriot, Ben Shelton, in an all-American clash at the indoor hard-court tennis event. Later, the former number 12 player clinched the title after defeating Marcos Giron in the championship game. Now, Paul has the opportunity to add another trophy this season at the BNP Paribas Open, where he will face Daniil Medvedev in the semis.