Despite concerns surrounding how Carlos Alcaraz would fare at the 2026 US Open after being sidelined for four months due to a wrist injury, his comeback has progressed in impressive fashion in New York.
After losing to Alcaraz in the fourth round, Tommy Paul opened up about the challenging experience of competing against the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
What Tommy Paul Said After His Loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open
With a place in the quarterfinals at stake, Alcaraz produced a dominant performance against Paul at the US Open, cruising to a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 triumph. The world No. 3 also improved to a 7-2 lead in his head-to-head record against the American.
Paul shared a candid assessment of his performance during his post-match press conference, acknowledging that the match had highlighted the harsh reality of the sizable gulf between his level and Alcaraz’s.
“It sucks, you know. I felt like he’s playing at a completely different level than me. Like I said in the beginning, I could have played a lot better and still lost that match. It sucks because you feel like it’s tough to win these matches against him, but at the same time, you learn a lot every time you play him,” Paul said.
Despite his disappointment over the loss, the American acknowledged that every match with Alcaraz left him with fresh ideas to work on.
“Every time I’ve played him, we’ve gone to the practice court with new ideas of what he does well and what I can try and put into my game. Obviously, it hasn’t panned out so great so far in my matches with him lately, but at least I’ll go back to the practice court with some ideas and some stuff I know I’ll need to work on,” he added.
Paul also clarified his view that even a better performance might not have been enough to stop the seven-time Grand Slam champion. He highlighted the “terrible” feeling of coming to the realization in the match that the gulf between their levels was huge.
“I’m not saying that I couldn’t play unbelievable and beat him. I’m just saying the gap in our levels today was huge. It’s a terrible feeling when you’re playing. I just had to do a lot better. And what I’m trying to say is I could have played a lot better and still lost in four, still lost in five. I would have to really bring my level up a ton and play the match more on my terms to win that,” he said.
Following his win over Tommy Paul, Carlos Alcaraz will continue his title defense against Ben Shelton in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash at the US Open. Alcaraz heads into the encounter with a 3-0 lead in their head-to-head record, having sealed a 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory in their most recent meeting at the 2025 French Open.
If the Spaniard extends his perfect winning record against Shelton, he will take on either Frances Tiafoe or Alex Michelsen in the semifinals.
