Tommy Paul revealed how he apologised to British tennis legend Tim Henman following his victory over Stanislas Wawrinka at the Queen’s Club.
The USA player, who had not won a tour-level match on grass before this tournament, raced into the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 event in London after he comfortably overcame three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, 6-1 6-4.
The world No. 35 won through to the last eight ahead of Wimbledon with a dominant win after just 65 minutes. It was a perfect way to follow up his impressive victory over Denis Shapovalov in the previous round
This win over the former world No. 3 from Switzerland further demonstrated Paul’s ability on the grass courts and showed that he can be a threat on the surface as he continues his preparation for the iconic Grand Slam in SW19.
Speaking after his victory, Paul admitted he said sorry to serve-and-volley supremo Henman over his volleying on the Brit’s favourite surface and would continue to believe in his game much more going forward.
“This week is my first couple of main draw wins on grass,” Paul said after the victory.
“If you had asked me two years ago, I would have said grass was my worst surface. But when I started working with my coach Brad [Stine], he said grass will end up being my best surface and I have tried to mould my game on that.
“I feel very comfortable out there, hopefully, if not this year but next it will be my best surface.
“I feel I serve and volley well but every time I went to do so today, I missed my first serve, so I didn’t get many chances.
“I saw Tim Henman just now and he is one of my favourites because of the style of tennis he played and I told him, ‘Sorry for all those volleys I missed’.
“I like coming to the net and rushing people on the grass.”
Paul will next face an even tougher challenge as he takes on Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, the second seed at Queen’s, in the quarter-finals.
