Tennis Star Tommy Paul Talks Biggest Lesson Learned From Reaching Australian Open Semifinals (Exclusive)

Tommy Paul has had a strong 2023 season, as the tennis star is currently ranked No. 13 in the ATP rankings, the highest in his career. One of the biggest highlights for the 26-year-old is taking on Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals. PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Paul who reflected on facing a tennis legend.

"Novak is such an incredible player," Paul exclusively told PopCulture via email. "Competing against him was an honor, and showed me the level I want to be. It was a great experience and helped me learn how to adjust my game plan in real-time." The seminal appearance was Paul's best finish in a Grand Slam. He reached his No. 13 ranking after defeating World No. 1 Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto in August. And most recently, Paul reached the fourth round of the US Open, the best finish in his career. 

With Paul being one of the best American players on the tour, he was one of the athletes to represent the country in the Olympics in 2021. When asked about his experience, Paul said: "Representing the United States at the 2021 Olympics was a true honor and a crazy experience. Wearing the Team USA gear and competing with top athletes worldwide was a dream come true. Even though I fell short in that particular match, it's all part of the game. I've learned a lot from it and am proud to have taken those lessons with me since and come back stronger."

During the US Open, Paul worked with Acorns for the Acorns Long Game to help a fan win some serious bonus investments. "The Acorns Long-Game comes from the idea that when it comes to a tennis rally or investing — the longer you're in it, the better you can set yourself up to win," Paul said. "Each forehand and backhand can set you up for the winning shot. Same goes for investing — invest a little here, and a little there… and with the power of compounding, you're giving your money a chance to grow. I was stoked when Noah Kerner, CEO of Acorns reached out to me to partner for the Acorns Long-Game. He also played tennis growing up and knows the grind of hustling to make it. I really resonate with Acorns' mission of turning acorns into oaks."

Paul continued: "The way it works is that throughout the US Open, Acorns multiplied the number of shots in my longest rally by $1000 and gave that to one lucky winner who signed up using my link. For example, during my second match, my longest rally was 19 shots, meaning a new Acorns customer got $19,000 in the Acorns app."