American player Tommy Pauls Australian Open run was cut short in the semifinals by eventual winner Novak Djokovic.
This marked the first time that Paul made it to the last four of a Grand Slam. And although he admits that Djokovic was in a whole different class, he now vows that he will not be a one-hit wonder.
Speaking of Djokovic, Paul said: He’s definitely an unbelievable player, especially here in Australia. In the locker room, I think no one really wants to see him on their part of the draw,” the world No. 35 said.
“But in the semis of a Slam, you’re not going to get a bad player. So to play him here, it was a cool experience.
“I knew he was going to play really, really well. Obviously, I wish I played a lot better today.”
Despite the loss, the 20-year-old breaks into the Top 20 of the world rankings and will end up in the number 19 spot.
Before going into it, he said that he was stoked to make it into the semifinals. He is the first American to make it to the last four of the Australian Open since Andy Roddick did in 2009.
“Obviously, I’ve got to carry it throughout the whole season. It’s about consistency, you know? I don’t want to be a one-hit-wonder.
“I want to keep moving up the rankings. It would be nice to end the year top 10. I feel like the way I started the year is the right path to do it.
“Hopefully get some titles, too,” he added.
“I don’t want to just lose in semifinals. I want to have my name on some trophies this year.”
