Brad Stine has outlined how Tommy Paul’s game was shaped with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in mind when the American was trying to move closer to the sport’s elite.

Stine, who started coaching Paul in 2020, has helped carry him from outside the top 50 to a player who has spent time near the top 10. Along the way, Paul reached one Grand Slam semifinal, added three quarter-final appearances and won a bronze medal in doubles with Taylor Fritz at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 29-year-old’s best ranking is No 8, though injuries and uneven form have since pushed him down to No 21. Stine described the current player as Tommy Paul 7.0, while saying an earlier version was built specifically to challenge the two men dominating the biggest events.

Paul has faced Alcaraz eight times and has won two of those matches, although the Spaniard is now on a five-match winning run in the rivalry. Against Sinner, Paul trails 4-1. Stine said those results influenced the work they did on his game.

He said on Tennis Channel, “That was a big part of our Tommy 6.0. We pushed Tommy to become a little bit more a shot maker, more aggressive with his basic groundstrokes and hitting style so he is trying to take a little bit more time away from that.

“That was a result of him having lost to those two guys in some big matches and opportunities. Quarter-finals at Wimbledon (2024) against Carlos, round of 16 (2024 US Open) against Jannik. We felt like Tommy’s attacking style lends itself to having an opportunity to beat those guys but that he needed to be a little bit bigger and more aggressive in the key moments of the matches.”

Stine, who also coached Jim Courier to four Grand Slams and the No 1 ranking in the early 1990s, said Paul’s on-court image can be misleading. While he is widely seen as entertaining, Stine said that is not his natural instinct when points are on the line.

“As much as Tommy plays aggressive tennis, but unless you’re around him, you don’t realise is that Tommy is a bit of a risk-averse person as a tennis player; he’s not as a human being,” added Stine.

“On the tennis court he hates missing balls, it’s been drilled into his head since he was young that you don’t make unforced errors. It took a bit of stress and pressure to get him to try and be willing to play a little bit bigger and with that comes making a few more errors but the trade-off is what he needed to try and beat those guys.”

Paul will now hope the 7.0 version of himself proves to be the strongest one yet.

The US Open draw is nearing, and the battle for wildcard places is becoming increasingly important for several well-known players seeking direct entry into the main event.

As happened around Wimbledon this year, a number of former top-ranked players may need a wildcard if they want to avoid the demanding qualifying route at Flushing Meadows.

Stan Wawrinka, Jack Draper, Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios are among those who would require an invitation to appear in the main draw without having to qualify.

Wawrinka, who plans to retire at the end of this season, has already made clear that he wants one final appearance at the tournament. After his last clay-court event ended in Estoril, he said: “I have requested a wildcard for the US Open. I hope to play there for the last time.

“There is also a Challenger in Cancun. If I secure the invitation for New York, I will play that Challenger to get ready. I am only guaranteed to play in the Lyon and Basel tournaments. I will still decide if I play more tournaments.”

The Swiss player appears the strongest candidate to receive a wildcard, especially with retirement approaching. He has already been handed wildcards by the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, which leaves the US Open organisers with the next call to make.

That situation leaves less room for Draper, Dimitrov and Kyrgios. In recent years, the US Open has been reluctant to hand out wildcards to non-US players, aside from the agreement it has with Roland Garros and the Australian Open to reserve one place each for an Australian and a French player.

Last year, the men’s wildcards went to Brandon Holt, Nishesh Basavareddy, Tristan Boyer, Emilio Nava, Stefan Dostanic and Darwin Blanch.

With Wawrinka expected to take one of the available spots, the chances of Draper, Dimitrov or Kyrgios being chosen look slim.

Draper appears to have anticipated that outcome by scheduling a Challenger event before the American major. He is set to play the Brownsburg Challenger in the same week as the Canadian Open, a move that could offer useful preparation for US Open qualifying.

Against that backdrop, Draper could face opposition similar to what he would meet in Grand Slam qualifying, giving him valuable work before the tournament begins.

The tennis schedule is moving back into focus after a quiet spell since Wimbledon, and the Washington Open is first up as the North American hardcourt swing gets underway.

The ATP 500 event is often treated as a launch pad for the bigger events that follow. Over the next six weeks, players will look ahead to the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open, which is why Washington regularly draws a strong field.

This year, though, the picture is different. Only two players from the top 10 are set to compete in the US capital: Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz. That limited elite presence comes after Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev withdrew just three days before the tournament was due to begin.

They are the only main-draw withdrawals listed so far, but qualifying has also lost several notable names. Mattia Bellucci, Arthur Fery, Luca Van Assche, Adam Walton, and Eliot Spizzirri are all confirmed absentees.

Fery is the most eye-catching withdrawal among them after his memorable run to the Wimbledon semi finals at his home Grand Slam. Even so, he had already indicated that Washington was not part of his main North American plan. “Cincinnati, Winston-Salem and the US Open, they’re pretty much locked in,” said the British star when asked which tournaments he would be playing on the North American hardcourt swing.

He also spoke about the US Open seeding picture, saying, “I might already be in there [the top 32] if I’m lucky, a few withdrawals,” he said. “I don’t think I will be able to contribute to the ranking anymore before the list comes out for the US Open, because it’s going to come out soon.

“Being seeded obviously protects you a little bit from the top guys, but it’s my first main draw that I qualify for directly with my ranking so just going to take it as it goes.”

With so few top-ranked players in the draw, the Washington Open could still offer a breakthrough moment for someone lower down the list. The entry sheet also includes Lorenzo Musetti, Learner Tien, Jakub Mensik, Frances Tiafoe, Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Rinderknech, Ugo Humbert, Brandon Nakashima, Tomas Etcheverry, Alejandro Tabilo, Matteo Arnaldi, Zizou Bergs, Adrian Mannarino, Kamil Majchrzak, Alex Michelsen, Tallon Griekspoor, Ethan Quinn, Terence Atmane, and wildcard entries Ben Shelton, Jack Draper, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Kei Nishikori.

Among the names to watch, Rafael Jodar will be aiming for his first hardcourt title, while Jack Draper is hoping to show the US Open that he deserves a wildcard. Arthur Fils, Tommy Paul, and Learner Tien, meanwhile, will be trying to extend the strong form they have shown throughout 2026.