In this rare three-set epic—and one of the best matches I’ve watched, period—Arthur Fils somehow escaped Paul, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6).
Frances Tiafoe, Paul’s practice partner Monday at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, felt for his friend, but offered some advice.
“You’ve got to have amnesia in this sport to be able to play at a high level,” he says. “Any week can kind of turn the page to then do something great.
“At the end of the day, super tough loss for TP, but it’s quarterfinals of a 1000…there’s guys struggling much more. He’s doing fine, he’s a hell of a player—he’s gonna be ready to go for this week.”
Just tennis, you know. It’s one of those sports that you only get a couple of opportunities sometimes, and sometimes you don’t do anything wrong. Tommy Paul
As a new week on the ATP Tour gets underway, Paul was asked about his decision to come to Houston after a busy March. But there was really no decision: he never likes to skip the States’ only red-clay tournament, opting to stay closer to home before heading to Europe.
Not that Paul is averse to the continent’s prevailing surface.
“That was basically all I grew up playing on until I was 13,” says Paul, who developed a taste for clay at a North Carolina tennis club.
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Paul was crestfallen after his improbable defeat. With some time to reflect, here’s what Paul told TENNIS.com about Miami, in Houston:
“I mean, I think we both played pretty well. I think I put myself in a pretty good position there at the end of the match. Obviously, he started playing pretty aggressive when he got down a few match points. I think he kind of got the mindset of, ‘All right, back’s against the wall, I’m just gonna go for it now.’ And it worked out for him, and sometimes that’s how it goes.”
