Tommy Paul gets right to the point about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Tommy Paul will face Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday in the round of 16 at the 2026 U.S. Open, a match he considers an important test of his progress this year. The Murcia native has won his last five matches, while the American’s last victory dates back to 2023.

“I think I’ve played Carlos more times than any other player on the Tour. I’m not sure, but I think that’s the case, and it’s pretty crazy. We’ve had some great matches, and then there was also a really, really bad loss at Roland Garros. But he’s the litmus test, along with Jannik Sinner.”

Paul has identified the Italian and Alcaraz as benchmarks and points of reference: “They’re playing great. We haven’t actually seen much of Carlos lately, but he’s clearly doing pretty well considering he’s just returned to competition. I’ll have to play really great tennis if I want to beat him, but I’ll do my best. I hope I can pull it off,” according to Ubitennis.

His recent victory over Zverev has given him confidence: “I like to think of myself as someone who always believes he can beat this kind of player. I don’t like stepping onto the court thinking I can’t win. I always try to approach matches with that mindset.”

On the “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, Paul himself had already described a very charged atmosphere in the locker room: “In the locker room, there’s a lot of talk about Sinner’s absence; Carlos hasn’t played in a long time… Everyone is fired up. Even if Sinner were here, we’d still be excited to play in the tournament, but I think everyone in the locker room is looking forward to this opportunity to win with great enthusiasm.” The last American to win his home Grand Slam remains Andy Roddick, who did so way back in 2003.