Ben Shelton famously joked after beating Lorenzo Musetti at the Australian Open that if someone beats you three times in a row, they’re your “daddy.” Not everyone has Shelton’s luck, though. On a recent “Nothing Major Podcast,” Tommy Paul playfully discussed which player might be facing that “daddy” situation this year, specifically calling out a German star, who also has a pretty worrying record against fellow American Taylor Fritz.

2023 was undeniably the breakthrough year of the American Tommy Paul. Why? He achieved a historic milestone by advancing to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open, the very first major he played as a Yonex ambassador. His quarterfinal victory over fellow American Ben Shelton marked the first time an American man had reached the AO semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2009. But standing in his way was the Serbian Novak Djokovic, who handed him a tough straight-set defeat (7-5, 6-1, 6-2) in one of their most significant semis matchups to date.

Speaking at the recently aired (14th February) “Nothing Major Podcast” Paul was asked about the player he had the most difficulty facing on the circuit.

To this Paul responded, “Djokovic has to be the toughest number one. He made me feel stupid at the Australian Open the time I played him. I was playing my best tennis and he made me feel it. I haven’t played against Zverev for a very long time, but this year he played impressive tennis. Fritz probably doesn’t think so, as Fritz was his “dad” this year. At Wimbledon, Alcaraz was playing at a level that was pretty crazy when I played him. I would classify it in category 2”. 

Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, currently ranked No. 2 and No. 4 respectively, have faced each other five times in 2024. While Zverev previously held a winning record against Fritz (4-3 head-to-head), last year was a different story. Fritz won four straight matches against the German, and Zverev hasn’t been able to find a way to beat him since his victory at the Rome Masters 1000. These key losses to Fritz include:

• Wimbledon (R16)
• US Open (QF)
• Laver Cup (Round Robin)
• Nitto ATP Finals (SF)

Even after the Nitto ATP Finals loss in November against Fritz, marking a 4-1 losing streak in 2024, Sascha couldn’t help but share his thoughts on the frustrating trend. “This one will hurt maybe a bit more because I thought I played at a decent level and I had more chances generally in the third set. I felt like statistically and shot-wise, my level maybe was even higher than his until the important moments. That’s where I kind of blew it. This one will hurt more than the other few,” Zverev admitted as per the ATP Tour. 

As of now, both Tommy Paul and Fritz are gearing up for their return to the court at the ‘Acapulco ATP 500’ in Mexico later this month. Before the tournament, Paul discussed why his breakthrough at the top level of tennis took longer than some of his fellow American rising stars.

“wasn’t mature enough,” Tommy Paul shed light on his journey to professional tennis

Having made his GS debut at the US Open in 2015(same year in which he turned pro), Tommy Paul had to wait five years before securing his first win at a Major at the 2020 Australian Open. Paul made it to the third round of a Grand Slam for the very first time in his career by defeating Grigor Dimitrov, who was the 18th seed and ranked No. 20 in the world at the time. A year later, Paul’s first ATP title followed at Stockholm Open, and in 2024, he took his game to another level, capturing three more titles, including the biggest of his career at Queen’s.

His steady rise continued into the new season as well, as he briefly broke into the live Top 10 rankings during the Australian Open, before settling at World No. 9. And now, reflecting on his unconventional career path, Paul has opened up about the journey that shaped him into the player he is today in professional tennis.

“I wasn’t mature enough. Straight up, I wasn’t going to these tournaments to win. I knew from a young age I was really good, but I didn’t know what it took to win. You can’t go into these tournaments without confidence and beat these good players. Maybe you win one match but it’s about stringing matches together, going in there and taking care of matches throughout a whole week. I think that was the main thing that changed,” he added in the podcast. 

With two semifinals and a quarterfinal appearance in 2025 already, do you think this will be the year that puts Tommy Paul’s name among Grand Slam title winners?