The 2025 season was supposed to be the one for Tommy Paul - a year where the American, now a seasoned campaigner on the ATP Tour, would finally piece together all the promise he had shown in previous seasons. Although he started the season quite impressively, it didn’t end as well as he would have wanted. According to his coach, Brad Stine, the 2025 turned into a “really, really weird year” - one that constantly swung between high hopes and frustrating setbacks.

It all began with a burst of momentum on Australian soil. Paul reached the SF in Adelaide before making it to the QF in Melbourne. At the AO, he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in a four-set thriller. Following that, although he reached the SF at the Dallas Open, Paul was forced to give a walkover to Marcos Giron in his R16 match at the Mexican Open. Then at the Indian Wells, he suffered a shocking 4-6, 0-6 defeat to Daniil Medvedev in the R16. Paul managed to reach quite a few long runs in some of the tournaments this year, yet he finished the year with zero titles and a win-loss record of 29-13. 

Brad Stine has been coaching Tommy Paul since 2020, and while analyzing his 2025 season, he spoke about all these ups and downs. “It's been a really, really weird year for us. Really weird year. I think all the guys on our team feel the same way about that...started out great, Tommy played extremely well in the Australian Open, and that was, you know...a really good start to the year. Felt he was playing really, really good tennis. Felt that he had a very, very good chance to win that match in the quarterfinals.” But the bright start was only a teaser of what could’ve been.

The shift came in Acapulco, where Paul’s year took a stomach-churning detour. In his interview on ‘The Slice’ tennis podcast, Stine further added, “Then we went to Acapulco... Tommy gets crazy sick, and you know he's literally throwing up over a balcony railing and comes back home, and that lingered. That illness lingered. He didn't feel right for another like two weeks and went to Indian Wells. played okay... “ By the time Paul stepped onto the courts at Indian Wells, Stine could see it: the spark wasn’t there.

He narrated a moment, saying, “I remember driving down, and he texted, and he said, 'Today's the first day I feel pretty normal. I'd say I'm 98% or something like that,' and I was like, 'Wow.' Then he was like, 'Man, I still feel off... don't feel well.' He had stomach issues that were, like, bugging him the whole time.”

Then, talking about his defeat to Medvedev at Indian Wells, Brad Stine said that it was the first time in a few years that Tommy Paul didn’t really show up for the match. He felt the American star wasn’t there mentally or emotionally. Paul was so embarrassed with the scoreline that he had even texted all his team members, issuing an apology, saying that’s not how he wants to represent them.

Following that, he also highlighted how his foot issues became more painful during the Italian Open. Despite all the pain, Paul managed to reach the semis in Rome. So there were a lot of positives before starting his campaign at the French Open. Upon arrival in Paris, Paul got an MRI of the foot and the groin. He reached the QF at Roland Garros, but over there, he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. Then, at Wimbledon, Tommy Paul ruptured the ligament completely. Although he finished his campaign there with a four-set defeat to Austria’s Sebastian Ofner, Paul looked far from his best after the French Open. 

The coach realized that while the season was progressing, Paul’s body wasn’t keeping pace. Fourteen tournaments. That’s all he managed in 2025. For a top competitor chasing the world’s best, it wasn’t just a shortened schedule - it was a year defined by stop-and-start struggles, constant resets, and emotional drain.

Tommy Paul was last seen in action on August 31 in the third round of the 2025 US Open against Alexander Bublik. But as the calendar turns, the tone inside the Paul camp is shifting. Stine delivered the update fans needed to hear…

Tommy Paul’s coach shares an update about his fitness ahead of the 2026 season

The recovery from the ruptured tendon, although slow and painstaking, has put Tommy Paul back on track. The team has focused on building his base fitness and preventing the kind of physical spirals that derailed him last year. Stine believes the rough 2025 chapter may ultimately serve a purpose. For him, the message is simple: 2025 wasn’t who Paul is. 2026 will be the real story.

Speaking on Tennis Channel, Stine said, “At this point, I think we are 100%. He’s back to normal. I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago for six days. The training was great, everything was really good, so we are very hopeful that we are going to have a healthy Tommy Paul for 2026.”

Tommy Paul’s best record at the Australian Open was reaching the semifinals in 2023. Can he come up with a better result this time? Time will tell!

The 28-year-old American will start his 2026 season in Adelaide. Although Paul became number 8 this year, his lack of consistency and extended absence from the Tour have pushed him down to 20. So, some good results here and there at the start of the 2026 season will definitely boost his ranking as well. How far can Paul reach in the 2026 AO, though?

Written by

Sayantan Roy

Sayantan Roy is a seasoned tennis journalist at EssentiallyTennis. He brings a deep tactical understanding to his coverage, breaking down head-to-head records, match dynamics, and on-court strategies with precision. For more than two years, Sayantan has been a key member of the Live Events desk, delivering real-time insights and data-backed predictions for the platform’s Matchday Preview section. His analytical approach has sparked editorial debates and drawn recognition from respected tennis voices, including commentator and analyst Olly_Tennis. Combining his experience in writing with a passion for insightful sports journalism, Sayantan’s work serves as a trusted reference point for tennis fans around the world.

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