Tommy Paul et la métamorphose qui fait de lui une sérieuse menace à Wimbledon

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 19 Jun 2026 | 09.33

Tommy Paul, menace à Wimbledon. Photo: gettyimages

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Tommy Paul faces the grass season and Wimbledon 2026 as one of the most dangerous players on the ATP circuit. The American, Queen's champion in 2024, has explained alongside his coach, Brad Stine, the keys to a transformation that has turned him into a threat on this surface and fuels his aspirations to achieve the best result of his career at Wimbledon.

Not long ago, the idea would have seemed strange even to the protagonist himself. Tommy Paul never considered himself a grass specialist and did not fit the classic profile of an American player built around the serve and short points. However, the results have ended up creating a different reality.

With a title in Queen's, a final in Eastbourne, and an increasingly solid performance on grass, the American approaches this part of the season convinced that he can compete against anyone. A significant part of this evolution has a clear responsible party: Brad Stine, the coach who identified enormous potential on grass when not even the player himself could see it.

Brad Stine and the transformation of Tommy Paul on grass

Their relationship began in 2019, a moment that Paul still considers one of the most important in his entire career. Not only because he brought in a coach with experience at the highest level, but also because it marked a change in mentality. It was when he decided to take on a much more active role in the development of his career and started building a professional structure around his tennis.

"When I started working with Brad, it was a very important moment in my career because it was the first time I invested in a coach and truly began to take the initiative in my career," Paul explained in statements collected by the ATP. What's intriguing is that Stine saw something in his tennis that the player himself couldn't appreciate. While Paul still associated his game with other surfaces, the coach was convinced that grass could become one of his best scenarios.

"I never thought I would be a grass player. Interestingly, he was one of the people who told me that my game would fit very well on this surface." That idea was repeated over time until it became a shared conviction. "He told me so many times that I ended up believing it."

This anecdote perfectly reflects the work carried out by many elite coaches. It's not just about correcting technical aspects or designing tactics for matches. It's also about helping the player discover facets of themselves that they have not fully developed. For years, Stine was convinced that Paul's mobility, coordination, athletic ability, and sensitive hands could make him an extremely effective player on grass.

Tommy Paul, capable of performing well on clay and grass

One of the most interesting aspects of this evolution is that it breaks some of the old stereotypes associated with surfaces. For decades, there was a sense that clay court specialists and grass court specialists belonged to completely different categories. However, modern tennis is proving that this boundary is much more blurred than it seemed.

Tommy Paul perfectly embodies that trend. Despite being American, he has probably become the player from his country who offers the best performance on clay. His results on the surface in recent years have been extraordinary, allowing him to compete on equal terms with some of the best specialists on the circuit.

Far from hindering his performance on grass, those qualities seem to complement it. The same applies to Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian has shown that a tennis based on creativity, tactical intelligence, variety, and the ability to interpret points can work just as well on clay as on grass. These are players who understand the game beyond a specific surface.

Paul clearly belongs to that group. He does not rely solely on his serve or power. He is a player capable of constructing points, reading complex situations, and finding different solutions depending on the circumstances of the match. In an era marked by the homogenization of surfaces, these abilities have become tremendously valuable tools.

The aggressiveness that Brad Stine instilled in Tommy Paul's game

Although tactical intelligence has always been part of his tennis, Stine believed from the outset that Paul needed to develop a more aggressive version of himself to make the definitive leap.

"I believe he also transformed my game a bit to make me a more aggressive player, and that has been a very important part of the success I have had overall."

This evolution is clearly seen when analyzing the American's trajectory over the last seasons. He remains one of the best defenders on the circuit and continues to stand out for his leg speed, but now he incorporates offensive patterns much more frequently than before.

In fact, Stine himself believes that there is still room for further evolution. "Tommy never comes to the net enough for my liking." The coach acknowledges jokingly that it is a constant battle between them. "I always want him to come to the net more."

The explanation makes a lot of sense when considering the nature of the surface. Grass rewards those who can take the initiative and shorten exchanges when the opportunity arises. That's why Stine constantly insists on the need to incorporate more offensive resources.

"Sometimes he tells me that it's difficult to approach the net against certain players because they hit very deep and make attacking complicated. My response is always the same: you can always serve and volley, and you can always come in after the second serve." According to the coach, these patterns are part of the strategy designed specifically for this time of year. "They are two ways to put more pressure on opponents and make them uncomfortable on grass. These are aspects that we continuously emphasize during this tour."

Wimbledon emerges as a great opportunity for Tommy Paul

The grass season also comes at a particularly favorable moment for the American. After the physical problems that conditioned this part of the calendar last year, he has hardly any points to defend over the next few weeks, a circumstance that allows him to face each tournament with the feeling of having much more to gain than to lose.

Stine admits that he would love to have more time to exploit the virtues of his player on this surface. "I wish the grass season lasted four more weeks." The reason is simple. Paul could barely compete during the pre-Wimbledon tour last year, putting him in a very advantageous ranking position.

"He practically has no points to defend. Before Wimbledon last season, he couldn't even play the tournaments leading up on grass. Whatever he achieves now will be a gain."

However, the matter goes beyond the world ranking. For Stine, the most important thing is to arrive at the All England Club with confidence, competitive rhythm, and the feeling of playing solid tennis.

"Before Wimbledon, you want to play as many matches as possible on this surface. Winning matches in a tournament like Queen's is fantastic for confidence."

Perhaps that is the main difference from previous years. Tommy Paul no longer arrives on grass wondering if he can adapt to it. That phase has long passed. The results have shown that he possesses all the necessary tools to perform at a high level on grass and that his combination of tactical intelligence, mobility, and aggressiveness can be extremely effective under these conditions.

Now the challenge is different. It's no longer about proving he belongs in the conversation. It's about seeing how far he can go within it. And with Wimbledon drawing closer, both Tommy Paul and Brad Stine seem convinced that there is still room to discover the best version of a player who, against all odds, has ended up finding one of his favorite surfaces in grass.

Cette actualité est une traduction automatique. Vous pouvez lire la nouvelle originale Tommy Paul y la metamorfosis que le convierte en seria amenaza en Wimbledon

Tommy Paul