Tommy Paul, Noah Rubin, Michael Mmoh and the stark impact of injuries

NEW HAVEN, Conn.—Before Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev contested one of the most riveting US Open finals in years, Tommy Paul was making a statement of his own, two hours away down Interstate 95.

The American won the inaugural edition of the Oracle Challenger Series stop in New Haven, defeating compatriot Marcos Giron in the final at the Yale University tennis courts, as he continued to show what he’s capable of when healthy.

For both Paul, 22, and Giron, 26, along with their fellow Americans Michael Mmoh, 21, and Noah Rubin, 23, injuries have been an issue in their young careers. Dealing with them has been part of the process as they work their way back up the rankings and try to join peers Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Reilly Opelka as consistent, Top-60-level players.

The New Haven title was Paul’s second at the ATP Challenger level this year, the first coming on clay in Sarasota, which helped him clinch a wild card for the French Open. At Roland Garros, the 2015 boys’ champion pushed eventual finalist Dominic Thiem in the first round before losing in four sets. Paul’s solid clay-court campaign came after he was forced to the sidelines after the year’s first major, the Australian Open, and he’s been climbing up the standings since.

“Being healthy has been great for me,” Paul says. “I’ve been almost throughout the whole year without feeling any injuries or anything. I took the first two months of the year off after Australia and since then, everything’s been really good.”

Getty Images

After Melbourne, Mmoh was forced off the court as well, due to a shoulder injury that halted his progress. The 21-year-old wasn’t able to play again until the French Open.

Injuries are always inopportune, but the timing of this struck the New Haven quarterfinalist particularly hard: At the end of 2018, he was playing his best tennis and had cracked the Top 100 for the first time on the strength of two Challenger wins.

“It was super tough in my position just because I thought I really had a good year last year,” Mmoh says. “I thought I was hitting my strides: I was just getting into main draws of Slams, main draw of ATP events. I was main draw of Australian Open, Delray Beach, and New York, and I couldn’t really play those tournaments because of my shoulder.

“I felt like I was this close to making that breakthrough: I put in all the work, my game was there, the results were there and this injury happened.”

Navigating the time away from the tour and regaining the necessary mind-set to face the challenges upon returning were difficult, Mmoh added.

“Coming back was definitely tough: just three months watching people compete and win, and you’re just chilling at home doing nothing. And you’re also not training, so you’re not getting better at the same time. You’re just doing rehab or fitness, but you’re not actually working on your game so when you come back you’re a little rusty.

“You might lose a couple of matches because you’re rusty and all of a sudden the confidence takes a hit,” he added. “It’s definitely tricky.”

Getty Images

It’s a situation that Rubin can relate to as well. Having hit a career-high No. 125 in the world at the end of last year, the native New Yorker—who advanced to the New Haven semifinals before losing to Paul—has dealt with several injuries since he turned pro after a season of college tennis.

“Not only do you miss that four-to-six month period, you’re also not playing the same tennis you once were," Rubin says. "Your momentum’s gone. And you build it back up and you’re ready and—you injure yourself again.”

With the players essentially operating as independent contractors, health issues can have a debilitating impact on and off the court.

“Not only does your individual ranking go down, you’re losing money," Rubin says. “You feel like you’re not even a part of the sport anymore.”

While being forced to take time away from the game, it’s crucial to do what you can to ensure that, when a player does return, they're hitting the court running.

“You have to find the positives in it and you have to take care of the things you haven’t necessarily had the chance to take care of,” Rubin says. “If it’s an upper body injury, make sure your legs are in the best shape they’ve ever been in.”

Getty Images

Being professional and making the commitment to potentially ward off any injury—to the best of your ability—is key, no matter how unlikely it may seem.

“Taking care of your body in the morning, getting a good warmup… after the match, make sure you get a good cool down” are all part of the process, Mmoh says.

Every year seems like a marathon with little time off at the players’ own discretion, which can also can put the body at risk.

“You have to realize with the brutal world of tennis, somehow it aligns itself because everyone takes a beating,” Rubin says. “If you watch a hard court tennis match, we’re sliding on hard courts. We’re not supposed to be sliding on concrete and then you have an 11-month season.”

As Mmoh tries to ensure his ranking is high enough to reach the main draw of the Australian Open next year, the plan is to play as much as he can the rest of the year—while also taking note of the bigger picture.

“It’s a very tricky balance. You also have to listen to your body, too,” he says. “Any time you’re a little tired or a little fatigued, slow it down a little bit. Just be really smart with your scheduling.”

Over the course of the past several seasons, Rubin, Paul and Mmoh have seen three of their peers—Tiafoe, Fritz and Opelka—make tremendous strides. While they are undoubtedly happy for their friends and compatriots, it can be difficult to watch when considering their own situations.

“Right now it’s kind of like they’re at the higher level right now,” Paul says. “Reilly, Fritz and Frances are on a little bit different level right now than me and Mmoh. And I think me and Mmoh are battling to get up there with them. I’m happy that we’re both healthy again and playing.”

And back on court for an extended period of time, Paul is still hungry for more success, even as he’s just cracked the Top 100 for the first time.

“I do not feel like I’ve made a breakout season at all,” he says. “I’d like to be a lot higher than I am.”