It wasn't particularly fun," Paul explains after being crushed by Alcaraz at Roland-Garros

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 03/06/2025 à 23h21

2 min to read

Alcaraz Paul Roland Garros

Tommy Paul played his first quarterfinal at Roland-Garros this Tuesday.

The American, ranked 12th in the world, had no chance against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, losing 6-0, 6-1, 6-4. Speaking to reporters, Paul shared his thoughts after the heavy defeat:

"It wasn't particularly fun. He played incredible tennis, returned really well. He kept me on the back foot constantly. He was playing so fast. Even during changeovers, I felt like he was getting up when there were still 20 seconds left. I was thinking, 'God, you need to slow down, man.'

At times, I just tried to disrupt his rhythm. On some serves, I waited an extra ten seconds. It’s something everyone does when your opponent is feeling that good. You try whatever you can to throw them off their game. It didn’t work today, but it has in the past.

But yeah, he played unbelievably well. He’s very comfortable here, and he’s the defending champion. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of his tournament goes."

When asked about his physical condition after winning two five-set matches earlier in the tournament, he responded:

"Obviously, I went into this match wanting to win. But very early on, it was clear I wasn’t moving too well. I looked around at all the people who had bought tickets.

Everyone who came deserved to see me play and give my best. I also deserved to play this match. Of course, I didn’t want things to go this way, but I deserved to finish the match.