ATP Tour

Paul lifts lid on ATP Tour locker room: ‘Butting heads’ or no beef?

Welcome to Locker Room Code, where ATP Tour players share the stories behind life on Tour. From unwritten rules and rookie mistakes to friendships and unforgettable moments, this series goes beyond the baseline. This week, Tommy Paul opens up about his closest bonds and love of banter.

For Tommy Paul, life in the locker room is about a lot more than getting ready for the next match. It is where jokes are shared and players get to know their on-court rivals away from the competition.

The 29-year-old American has been around the ATP Tour since 2017 and has seen plenty of different personalities come and go. Along the way, Paul has become one of the most popular players in the locker room, with a close group of friends who make the constant travel a whole lot more fun.

“I feel like the locker room nowadays, it's not like it was in the 90s,” Paul told ATPTour.com when asked about the dynamics inside the locker rooms. “I feel like in the 90s, there were a lot of people butting heads and — I don't want to say bigger egos, but there were different egos.

“I feel like now, people know that we're all traveling to the same tournaments together year round. Nobody really wants beef in the locker room. I think everyone respects each other and what we do.”

Though he cannot speak from personal experience about the 1990s, Paul’s own time on Tour has coincided with another strong period for American men's tennis. He is one of 14 American men inside the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings, and that has translated into a strong presence at tournaments and plenty of banter when the group gets together.

Paul is particularly close with Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, while Reilly Opelka was his best man when he married long-time partner Paige Lorenze last month. So what makes the American group click so well?

“I think, in our own way, we’re very fun to watch,” Paul explained. “I always find it interesting that we're all such different people, but we're all so close at the same time. All of us are very different, but we'll all go out to dinner and have the best time. I enjoy hanging out with the American guys a tonne — not because the Europeans or South Americans aren't good guys — I just find it easy to get along with them.”

Watch Paul & Tiafoe share warm embrace after Houston battle:

The American crew has been a big part of Paul's journey, including when John Isner and Steve Johnson were among the players he looked up to. But some of Paul's first memorable locker-room experiences came from spending time with players who had already reached the very top of the sport.

“I practised with Roger [Federer] at the US Open when I was 17 or so,” Paul explained. “That was really cool. And then also five months later, I practised with Rafa [Nadal], and we practised for like four days straight in Miami. That was pretty cool just talking to them and being able to practice with them.

“One thing I remember about Roger was that he really kept up with junior tennis. He had won 17 Grand Slams at the time, and he knew who the juniors were and the juniors at the US Open. I thought that was really surprising and really cool.”

For any young player arriving on Tour, stepping into a locker room packed with established stars can be a lot to take in. Paul was fortunate to have people around him who made that transition easier, and after years of doing the travelling himself, he is now one of the more experienced players who can help make the next generation feel at home.

But being one of the more sociable guys on Tour does not mean Paul is chatting away right up until he walks on court. There is a point in the build-up to a match when the laughter stops and the focus switches.

“I would say I am decently chatty, but mostly with the same people every week. I have my group of guys that I like to talk to in the locker room, but I think I would still be talking before my matches,” Paul explained. “Before warming up, I would be fairly chatty, that’s normal. And then after warming up, before I’m about to go play, I stick to myself a little bit more and talk a little less.

“But I'll play against one of my best friends sometimes, and we're going to be in the locker room, so you're going to be around them and you're going to talk to them.”

_{^{Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul won the bronze medal in the men's doubles event at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC}}

Of course, being part of a locker room also means learning a few things you probably will not find written down anywhere. Paul has five ATP Tour titles to his name and 15 Lexus ATP Head2Head wins against Top-10 opponents, so he has had plenty of big moments to celebrate.

But there is a time and place for everything.

“Celebrating with your team in the locker room in front of the guy who you just beat,” Paul responded when asked about an unwritten rule in the locker room. “Oh yeah, I’ve experienced that, but I feel like only with newer guys… Once people have been on Tour for a while, I feel like not so much.

“I don't know that I'm a guy to give advice, but I think everyone's pretty good in the locker room.”

And perhaps that is what makes Paul's view of the locker room so interesting. There is still plenty of competition, but away from the court there is also a lot of respect, friendship and, inevitably, a fair bit of banter.

For Paul, the locker room code is not about a long list of rules. It is about reading the room, knowing your people, giving someone their space when they need it and understanding that, even in a sport where everyone is fighting for the same wins, there is room for a good laugh along the way.