Tommy Paul’s (pinky) promise: American star talks Wimbledon surge, eight-match streak

Tommy Paul turned heads when he sealed his all-business 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 23 seed Alexander Bublik with a bit of Wimbledon whimsy. But what’s a little pinky tap between friends?

“I think we played three years ago in Rotterdam and I don’t know why, but we just touched pinkies,” the No. 12 seed told the Tennis Channel Live Desk on Friday. “I really have no idea why, but ever since then, we don’t even shake hands anymore. We kind of know the drill.”

Paul has gotten increasingly more creative at net, winning 22 of 28 points from the offensive position to not only beat the rain and book his spot at SW19’s second week but also extend his winning streak to eight in a row, having won his third ATP title last month at Queen’s Club. For the 27-year-old, it’s all part of his and coach Brad Stine’s master plan.

“We’ve been working on coming in for a while now,” he smiled in his chat with Martina Navratilova and Steve Weissman. “Surprisingly enough, I feel like I haven’t been coming in on grass as much as I have been on hard earlier in the year and the end of last year. I’m sure Brad will be pushing me to come in more in my next match!

“It’s funny where, after matches, we’ll pick out specific points and I’ll remember that I let that ball drop when I should have taken it out of the air,” he added later. “He’ll remember it more than I do; he’s pretty on top of it when it comes to missed opportunities, so we’ll definitely have a chat about that.”

Briefly the top-ranked American man following his cinch Championships victory, Paul is back to No. 2 behind childhood rival Taylor Fritz but has plenty of eyes on him given his pre-Wimbledon form and place in the draw, occupying the same quarter as defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Paul owns an impressive 2-2 head-to-head with the No. 2 seed, having beaten him on Canadian hard courts in both Toronto and Montréal. But while Alcaraz narrowly escaped his third-round clash with another American, No. 29 seed Frances Tiafoe, Paul appears to be peaking at the right time with a clear mindset when it comes to grass court tennis.

“I think it’s a lot about shot selection for me and, when I’m on the run, maybe not giving on my right foot and bouncing over there just to pop something up,” he mused of his commitment to all-out offence. “When I get on the run, I should be going for a big shot, going big middle. It may be the last shot in the rally. So, try something: go after something, get to the net when you can, and serve smart. We talk about pitching a good game, not just hitting the same serve over and over.”

But before he can get to Carlos in the quarterfinals, Tommy will have to get past a fourth round against Roberto Bautista Agut or Fabio Foginini, whose third round was suspended due to weather.