Tommy Paul won the biggest trophy of his career at the 2024 Cinch Championships at the Queen's Club, becoming the number one American in the process.
American tennis has historically been spectacular, as the country has produced many great players over the years. The last great American player on the ATP Tour was Andy Roddick, who won a Grand Slam and became world number one over two decades ago.
Since then, we haven't really seen an American at the top, though a few came close. Most recently, Taylor Fritz was in the Top 5, but he fell short of the ultimate goal, for now.
Now, there is a new sheriff in town, as Tommy Paul will become the new American number one on Monday. He will debut a new career-high ranking of 12, placing him ahead of Fritz, who is number 13, and Ben Shelton, who is number 14.
The American earned a new career-high ranking after playing a tremendous week of tennis in London at the ATP 500 event at the Queen's Club. Paul was amazing all week long, winning matches comfortably, including a win over Jack Draper, who bested Carlos Alcaraz, but also the final against Lorenzo Musetti, which was a two-set win.
It's a great achievement for Paul, who has been flying under the radar for many years. He was always among the group of young players coming out of the United States but barely ever got mentioned, as there was always someone ranked above him.
It was always some other players who got the spotlight, while Paul kept grinding and working on his game. Progress didn't come overnight, but after months and months of hard work, it's slowly coming together.
He's had a really good year so far, with 27 wins and only 10 losses, aiming for his first 50-win season on the Tour. If he keeps playing at this level during the summer, especially in late summer in the United States, Paul could surely crack the Top 10 this year.