Tommy Paul Reveals Carlos Alcaraz’s Priceless Act in Defeat That Completely Won Over the American

Carlos Alcaraz recently put an end to Jannik Sinner‘s 19-match winning streak at the SF of the Indian Wells. The Italian looked unstoppable this season, but Carlitos had other plans, and a few hours later he went on to clinch his second consecutive title at the Indian Wells. Talking about winning streaks, well even Carlos Alcaraz had a 14-match winning streak last year until the QF of the Canadian Open. But do you know who ended his incredible run that time around?

Well, it was none other than the American tennis star, Tommy Paul. Paul defeated the Spaniard by 6-3,4-6,6-3 to make it the SF in Toronto and also became the first American men’s player to beat the No. 1 since 2017. Recently, Tommy Paul recalled that moment and revealed how cool was Carlos Alcaraz even after facing a shocking exit from the Canadian Open seven months ago.

“Guys at the top of their game are that way” – Tommy Paul on Carlos Alcaraz

Paul recalled that he along with his full team went to dinner after their QF clash in Toronto. He had to face Jannik Sinner in the SF next day, so Tommy Paul couldn’t just let his hair down and enjoy himself. On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz looked in quite a different mood even after his loss to Tommy Paul a few hours ago. Tommy Paul said, “We finished late that day, but the tournament kept a restaurant open so we could get a late-night meal. And it was funny — Alcaraz also showed up at the restaurant 20 minutes later.“

He further went on to add, “He was waving at us, and smiling as he went upstairs. I remember thinking he probably had much more fun than I did because I had to play the next day. But also, there was no animosity from him either way: guys at the top of their game are that way.” Although Tommy Paul couldn’t beat Jannik Sinner in the semi-final, he still remembers Alcaraz’s contagious smile even after the SF loss from that tour.

Tommy Paul has never made it to a Masters 1000 final. But he had a good chance this year at the BNP Paribas Open to make it to the finals and meet Carlos Alccaraz on the other side of the court. Both of them have faced each other four times, leveling the H2H 2-2. After Toronto, they yet again faced each other at the Cincinnati Masters just after 5 days. That time Alcaraz had the last laugh. Let’s have a look at what the world no.2 had said about the Americans after their previous meetings.

“He’s a mix of everything” – Alcaraz heaped praise on Paul

Although the Spaniard didn’t reflect his disappointment while meeting Tommy Paul. Carlos Alcaraz was very upset with his loss to Tommy Paul at the Canadian Open for the second consecutive year and had admitted that he has to improve a lot. In 2022, Paul had defeated the Spaniard in the R32. However, this time Alcaraz didn’t hesitate to heap praise on the American tennis star.

He said, “He’s really tough on every surface. I mean he’s a mix of everything. It makes him really, really tough.” Alcaraz further went on to add that, Tommy Paul is certainly a “complete player.” Alcaraz was impressed with Paul’s incredible shots and agility on the court during their match. No matter whether you win or lose, you’ll always get to see Carlos Alcaraz smile. How important do you think it’s to have a positive attitude on the court every time you step onto it?

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz Opens Up on a ‘Difficult’ Period of His Career That Stopped Him From Playing His Best Tennis