Coco Gauff shared a humorous anecdote about Tommy Paul, which she recalled after he made a similar admission during the 2025 French Open. Both Gauff and Paul have advanced to the quarterfinals of the clay-court Major.
Coco Gauff Recalls ‘Funny Memory’ About Tommy Paul at French Open 2025
Gauff is seeded second at the French Open. She defeated Olivia Gadecki 6-3, 6-2, qualifier Tereza Valentová 6-2, 6-4, Marie Bouzková 6-1, 7-6(3), and 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5 in the first four rounds to secure her place in the quarterfinals.
Following her victory over Alexandrova, Gauff spoke about the American players faring well at the clay-court Major during the post-match press conference. She also spoke about Paul and recalled a “funny moment” surrounding him. She stated that she has known the former World No. 9 since her debut on the professional tour, describing him as a “calm” and a “chill guy.”
“Tommy, I’ve known him since I’ve been on tour, and he’s how he is on court, very chill, very calm, a chill guy. I see him in Florida all the time with his pickup truck,” Gauff said.
Gauff also shared a lighthearted memory of Paul, noting how she once witnessed him engaging in an intense cardio workout, only to spend nearly six hours fishing afterward.
“I guess my funny memory is him like literally doing cardio on the track, looking like he’s dead, and then just seeing him with fishing rods on the back of his truck going to go straight to the ocean to go fish, and I’m like, ‘How do you have energy to be on the water for six hours?’ But he’s as country as it gets, I think, when it comes to tennis players that I know,” she added.
During a press conference at the French Open, Paul also elaborated on his love for fishing, explaining that it serves as a healthy “getaway” from the pressures of tennis.
“For me, it’s like a getaway. When I’m fishing, I’m not thinking about tennis, but sometimes when I’m playing tennis, I’m thinking about fishing. But yeah, when I’m out there it’s like a complete separation from my job, from tennis, and I think that’s really healthy,” Paul said.
Who Will Coco Gauff and Tommy Paul Face at the 2025 French Open?
Following her victory over Alexandrova in the fourth round of the 2025 French Open, Gauff is set to take on fellow American and seventh seed Madison Keys in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
Keys secured her spot in the quarterfinals of the clay-court Major by defeating qualifier Daria Saville 6-2, 6-1, Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-3, 31st seed Sofia Kenin 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, and Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 7-5 in the first four rounds.
Gauff and Keys have met five times on the WTA Tour, with the former World No. 5 winning three of those encounters. Their most recent clash was in the fourth round of the 2024 Madrid Open, where Keys emerged victorious with a score of 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4.
The winner of the quarterfinal match between Gauff and Keys will advance to face either sixth seed Mirra Andreeva or Wild Card Loïs Boisson in the semifinals.
On the other hand, 12th-seeded Paul began his French Open by defeating lucky loser Elmer Møller 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 and Márton Fucsovics 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-5, 6-4 in the first and second rounds, respectively. Paul then triumphed over 24th seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-3 in the third round and registered a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over 25th seed Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round to secure his place in the quarterfinals.
Here, the former World No. 9 will take on second seed Carlos Alcaraz. Both players have faced each other six times on the ATP Tour, with the former World No. 1 emerging victorious in four matches. Their most recent encounter occurred in the 2024 Paris Olympics quarterfinals, where Alcaraz secured a 6-3, 7-6(7) win.
The winner of the Paul-Alcaraz match will advance to face either eighth-seed Lorenzo Musetti or 15th-seed Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals.
