Newly Engaged, Paul Eyes Big Run In Cincinnati

American shares engagement story and discusses his recent injuries

By Grant Thompson

Health and happiness headline Tommy Paul’s return to Cincinnati. Fresh off recovering from a string of injuries — most notably a ruptured ligament in his left foot at Wimbledon — the 28-year-old is back on court and in high spirits. Thankfully, that foot injury did not hinder Paul’s ability to bend down on one knee and propose to his girlfriend of three years, Paige Lorenze, during a memorable July day in Nantucket, Massachusetts.

“I wanted to do it on the beach. But the schedule for the weather was horrible, it was supposed to rain the whole time, so I ended up renting a little cottage and did it there,” Paul said of his picturesque marriage proposal. “Nobody was around, it was just me and her and I thought it was great to have that moment for ourselves.”

The off-court joy comes in a season during which Paul has hit new heights, having cracked the Top 10 for the first time after a quarter-final run at the Australian Open. Paul matched his Melbourne result at the season’s second major, Roland Garros, yet showed signs of injury during his quarter-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz. The American was bageled in the opening set and won just five games in a lopsided defeat to the eventual champion.

Paul, whose body language never reveals if he’s winning or losing, was wrestling with pain in his adductor and abdominal area, keeping him from his best level. 

Another setback came at Wimbledon.

“I heard a pop in my foot during the match [against Sebastian Ofner] and then after, I got an MRI. When they tell you that you ruptured a tendon, you just shut it down,” said Paul, who spent two weeks in a protective boot. 

Despite the boot’s restrictions, Paul improvised to keep training. “I was even squatting in the boot,” he said, noting that he kept up with stationary bike sessions and upper-body work.

If there was any silver lining from a month sidelined from competition, it created the perfect window for Paul’s planned proposal to Lorenze, a social media influencer who boasts nearly one million Instagram followers. 

“I knew I was going to do it for a while, but I didn’t know when,” he said. “Obviously I was out for a little bit, so it was kind of a forced vacation and I was like, ‘This is probably the best time for me to do it’. It was great because it was her family vacation. I didn’t want to take over her family vacation with that, but I guess I kind of did. But it was great.”

There was doubt whether Paul would make it to the Cincinnati Open, due to his foot injury, but the 13th seed showed no ailing signs when he began his seventh appearance in southwest Ohio. He advanced in dominant fashion — a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Pedro Martinez.

Paul, No. 16 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is one of four Americans in the Top 20, a quartet that also features last year’s US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, Toronto champion Ben Shelton and 2024 Cincinnati runner-up Frances Tiafoe. The 22-year-old Shelton is the youngest of the bunch, but Americans like Paul are taking notes from the lefty’s rapid rise.

“I feel like every six months, I can notice something that Ben is doing so much better or something that he’s changed that’s made his game better,” said Paul. “To have another Masters 1000 champ for America is great and obviously it motivates all of us, but I’m really happy for him right now.”

The winner of four tour-level titles, Paul could add his name to the list of American champions at ATP Masters 1000 level this fortnight. He will continue that quest Monday against French veteran Adrian Mannarino.