US OPEN

September 4, 2026

Tommy Paul

Press Conference

T. PAUL/A. Bublik

6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Tough five-setter. Very strong in Sets 4 and 5. Your thoughts.

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I mean, I feel like the first set, first couple sets, I felt like he was all over my service games and I was having trouble getting in his service games.

Even the break in the first set that I got at 4-All, I don't know, it kind of felt random, in a way. And then after the third set, I kind of took a second and came back out and just wanted to focus on getting my energy up and putting as many returns in the court as I could and raising my first-serve percentage. And I feel like that was kind of a difference.

I'm not sure, I feel like he also kind of made a few more errors and the match looked different on his side of the court, I think, also.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You talked the other night about it felt like two different matches out there. Did today feel a little bit like two different matches? The first three sets were really tight, and then you pulled away in the fourth and fifth. Did you feel like it was almost two completely different matches again?

TOMMY PAUL: I mean, a little bit, but I guess in a flip-flopped kind of way. But, I mean, with Bublik, you always got to be ready for him to turn it on. He can turn it on at any time.

It's not unusual for, you know, the match to kind of either get away from you or get away from him for a little bit, and he can kind of flip the switch and start playing unbelievably well.

That's why, at the end of the match, I feel like I was, you know, extra locked in more than I would be normally after winning, like, 10 or 11 games in a row or whatever it was.

Q. Coming into this tournament, if somebody had told you that in the handful of American guys that were going to be left as we got a little deeper into the weekend towards Labor Day, how surprised would you have been to see Michael Zheng? What do you know about him or his game or his tennis?

TOMMY PAUL: I'm not really sure. Not that surprised. I know how good he is. He also works out with my trainer in Florida. We saw him in Australia.

I mean, I think he's an incredible player. He's going to be a problem on the tour for a lot of people, so I think it's exciting for him, of course, and American tennis, another guy.

Q. I know you don't get to choose this sort of thing, but having been to second weeks in slams before, do you prefer to have, like, these tough matches in the first week that can take something out of your legs, or would you rather have a little bit easier time and maybe be a little less...

TOMMY PAUL: I want easy matches all the time (smiling). I mean, you're going to get tough matches at some point in the tournament. You know, if you actually want to win these tournaments, you have to beat the best players. My mindset is, I mean, it doesn't matter when. I mean, you just got to do it at some point.

Q. Playing Carlos Alcaraz, you guys played a lot early on a few years ago. Not as much recently, obviously, but what are you looking forward to in that match?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I think I played Carlos, I'm not sure about this, but I think I played him more than anybody on tour, for me, which is kind of crazy. Yeah, I mean, we've had some good matches, one really, really bad beat-down at French Open.

But, I mean, he's the test, him and Sinner. They have been playing great, and I guess Carlos we haven't really seen too much, but obviously doing pretty well coming right back to competition.

I mean, I'm going to have to play some pretty good tennis if I want to win that match, but I'm going to do my best. Hopefully I can.

Q. Does the win you had over Zverev not long ago make you more confident that your game is there to be beating top guys?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, it helps, but at the same time, I like to think of myself as somebody who always thinks I can beat those players. I mean, I don't like to step on the court not thinking I can win. So I try and always go out there like that.

Q. This is not a question so much about today's match but big picture with your serve. How do you achieve or do you try to achieve the element of surprise? Is that a part of your repertoire, kind of fooling guys, catching guys leaning? Is that a part of it?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I mean, I guess a little bit. I mean, you can mess around with the toss and try and fake people out with the way that you toss the ball and going the opposite direction.

Then on second serves, I feel like it's something that you're seeing more and more over the past couple of years is people are really going after their second serve. They're using their second serve as a weapon and surprising people, like you said, maybe going after it 115, 120 on second serves, which maybe 10 years ago you weren't seeing as much. It was more of a start-the-point kind of shot.

Q. Would you ever change a first-serve speed? You're hitting 120s, 130s. Would you ever dial it down to 100, say, like a pitcher does in baseball, like a changeup type of thing? Or is that not possible? I'm curious about that.

TOMMY PAUL: Not often. I definitely wouldn't do it often. If I did, it would be like a wild changeup, maybe my opponent is seeing it like a watermelon and gotta give him something different. I definitely wouldn't recommend doing that a couple times in a row.

Q. With all the guys from the U.S. who have advanced so far, how would you describe the challenge to get really deep for you and the other guys at this point with people playing as well as you are?

TOMMY PAUL: How would I describe the challenge?

Q. Yes.

TOMMY PAUL: I mean, difficult. I think, you know, to win the biggest tournament in any sport, it's very hard. I mean, it's two long weeks of tennis and long matches, and you're playing against the best players.

Obviously we have a little extra pressure because, I mean, you guys always tell us that we haven't won a slam in whatever, 23 years, and I mean, then we're also at home soil where we want to do well and put expectations on ourselves.

I mean, it's a tough task, but, I mean, I don't know. Like, I have talked to the guys in the locker room, like everyone feels pretty good, you know. If not this year, it's gonna happen soon.

I think it's super exciting. You can ask whoever wins the next slam, whatever American wins the next slam, ask him about his journey, I guess.

Q. What do you consider the common denominator in terms of work ethic among the group that we are talking about -- you and Frances and Taylor and Ben, et cetera -- how would you describe the work ethic?

TOMMY PAUL: Everyone works very hard. You know, there is obviously different styles of the way that they work. Ben, I think, is kind of like a feeding-reps kind of guy. I like point play. Foe is like a little bit more all over the place.

It's just different. I mean, I think we all bust our ass in different ways. We're very hard workers.

Q. Obviously a pretty nice, positive atmosphere out there on court today. Generally, do you ever feel like it's pushing up against sort of the ability to play well with the constant din and the noise and late finishes and marijuana wafting into the stadiums?

TOMMY PAUL: I mean, I think it helps me probably (smiling). I very much enjoy the loud noise on Armstrong and throughout the US Open. I think it's a lot of fun, and it's different, you know.

I think that's what separates the US Open from other slams and makes it more fun for people to attend. That's probably why we have, I mean, a different group of people coming to the US Open than you'd see at Wimbledon. It's fun.

Q. Bublik hit the underhand serve, and I feel like from there, you really took control. Do you think you were doing anything different, he was doing something different? Could you pinpoint, like, what changed around that point in the match?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I think it changed a little bit earlier than that actual underarm serve point. But that was, I think, breakpoint for me to go up two breaks in that fourth set.

So, I mean, I think the real turning point was probably the first time that I broke in that set, but then obviously once you go up two breaks, you feel like a little bit of cushion, a little bit more comfortable.

I'm sure he was probably thinking, like, all right, let's get this set done and roll into the fifth set and come out with good energy.

Then, yeah, I mean, in the fifth, I thought I started the set really well. That was super important for me. Probably the most important 15 minutes of the match, honestly.

Q. It is the first time that you're going to face Carlos in your home slam. Probably will be a night session, which he loves. What kind of atmosphere, what role does that play into that, do you think?

TOMMY PAUL: Yeah, I mean, I guess we'll see if it's a night match. I think we should get one of the stadium courts probably (smiling).

Yeah, I mean, I think the crowd is going to be excited for the matchup. Obviously the crowd at every tournament loves Carlos, but you know, I am American, so hopefully they can get behind me a little bit.