Toward the end of last year, Paul rediscovered the art of winning, taking the Challenger title in Charlottesville, Virginia. He lost in the last round of qualifying, got into the main draw as a lucky loser and did not lose a set. He followed with a semifinal showing in Champaign, Illinois, setting the stage for a productive 2019 with that display of resurgence.
His form at the recent three springtime Challengers was impressive across the board. The triumph in Sarasota was the product of his hard work and resilience as a competitor. After a decisive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Gastao Elias in the first round, he came from behind to defeat Daniel Elahi Galan 2-6, 6-1, 6-1, and fended off a stern challenge from the wily Paolo Lorenzi, taking another three-set encounter.
“The Galan match was a good one. I didn’t come out too hot but he was playing really well. I knew it was going to be a tough match,” reflects Paul. “I remember thinking how important that second game of the second set was going to be, how if I won this game the match could change. And then I won like ten games in a row, which only proved my point.”
After a routine semifinal victory, Paul toppled compatriot Tennys Sandgren for the title, 6-3, 6-4, saving no fewer than 15 break points across two productive sets.
“It was actually pretty funny," Paul recalls. “In one of the games, I think I had eight break points against me and I saved them all. I was going for my shots and trusting my game. I fought very hard on the break points. I was pretty happy about that.”
Heading to Tallahassee, he had a stern round-of-16 battle with Mitchell Krueger but came through 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2). That was a crucial win in the middle of his uplifting swing. “That was overall a really high-quality match," Paul recollects. "I was down one match point but saved it with a kick wide and forehand open court type point. In the tie-break, I played tight tennis and made sure not to miss too many balls. It was definitely a clutch match. I was pumped because my Mom was there to see it.”
In the semifinals, Paul upended Sandgren again in a match with a similar scoreline. After playing nine matches in under two weeks, Paul was understandably feeling some fatigue, and was beaten 6-2, 6-2 by Emilio Gomez in the final. As he explains, “Honestly I didn’t play great but I don’t want to take anything away from Emilio. There were three or four points that still stick out in my mind where I remember what might have been if I had taken advantage of them. But he just played very good tennis and that was pretty much it.”
Paul moved on to Savannah and pulled out a pair of taxing three-set matches there, but realized he was in no condition to compete any longer and withdrew prior to his quarterfinal. “I knew I needed to take care of my body and make sure I was ready for Europe by having a good training block before Geneva and the French Open,” says Paul.
“I am working on flexibility and spending time in the gym, keeping myself strong and fit. And I have been working more on my mental side with a psychologist. I talk with him once every week or two and try to take in what he says I should work on. The big thing for me is being self-motivated.”
When he is in Paris, Paul will be “treating this as a business trip, because that is exactly what it is” but will allocate time to poke fun with the contingent of Next Gen Americans. “Every time I see them doing well, I am happy for them,” says Paul. “We are pumping each other up all the time and sending videos to each other on Instagram and giving each other grief. Mmoh, Tiafoe, Opelka, Fritz: all of us are really close. I feel I belong with them.”
