ATP Tour

How Stine changed Paul's mind & why the grass season is a 'bonus situation'

Tommy Paul never imagined he would become one of the ATP Tour's most dangerous grass-court players.

Yet as the American heads into another month on the slick lawns, his coach, Brad Stine, believes the coming tournaments offer a chance to build on a transformation years in the making. This week, Paul has returned to familiar territory at the HSBC Championships, where he has reached the quarter-finals and is riding a seven-match winning streak at Queen’s Club after lifting the trophy in 2024 before being unable to defend his title last year because of an abdominal injury.

“I wish the grass-court season was four weeks longer,” Stine told ATPTour.com in London. “Tommy doesn't have any points right now to defend. Up until he played Wimbledon last year, he didn't play any of the grass-court events leading into Wimbledon. So it's like a bonus situation for him, these tournaments, with any points that he can make.

“Obviously going into Wimbledon, you want to get as much match time on the courts as you can. So winning matches here at a tournament like Queen’s is great for your confidence to prepare for Wimbledon.”

Since beginning their partnership in 2019, Stine has helped guide Paul to a career-high No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings and all five of his ATP Tour titles. After another strong first half of the 2026 season, the American owns the third-most tour-level wins of any player this year, trailing only World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev.

With just 50 points to defend through Wimbledon, Paul — currently the World No. 28 — has an opportunity to climb. Stine's optimism, however, extends beyond the mathematics of the rankings and is rooted instead in his long-held belief that his player possesses the tools to thrive on grass, a surface on which Paul has compiled a 27-14 career record entering the Queen's Club quarter-finals, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“When I started working with Brad, it was a big moment in my career because it was the first time that I started paying for a coach and started taking serious initiative in my career,” Paul told ATPTour.com. “I never thought I'd be a grass-court guy, weirdly enough. He was somebody who told me, ‘Tommy, your game is going to match up very well with grass’.

“He told me so much that I started believing it. I think at the same time he did transform my game a little bit to be a more aggressive player, and I think he's a big, big part of the success I've had in general.”

That transformation has been built around making Paul a more complete and proactive player. Under Stine, the American has developed into one of the Tour's most versatile competitors, winning titles on clay, grass and indoor hard courts while adding greater variety and intent to his attacking game.

Stine, who previously coached Jim Courier to World No. 1, has long believed Paul's athleticism and feel around the court could make him a natural fit on grass, even if his pupil initially needed convincing.

His ATP 500 title at Queen’s Club in 2024 and a run to the Eastbourne final a year earlier only strengthened that conviction. But even with those results, Stine still believes there is another level for Paul to reach on the surface.

“Tommy never comes in enough for me,” Stine said, referring to Paul’s net play. “I always want him to come in more. Sometimes he'll make a statement about playing a particular player that was very difficult to come in [against] because the guy’s hitting the ball really deep, with more penetrating balls, so it's harder to attack. My response is always, ‘You can always serve and volley and you can always come in behind second serves’.

“Those are two ways that we try to get Tommy to put pressure on guys and attack and press them a little bit more on the grass. We’re definitely always stressing those things when we're on the grass.”

The coach-player dynamic has also evolved during their years together. When Stine first began working with Paul in 2019, the American was still developing. Now 29, engaged to fiancee Paige Lorenze and preparing for a new chapter away from the court, Stine believes their relationship has matured alongside his tennis.

“Tommy's turned 29 now, and he's engaged and getting married right after Wimbledon. He's in a much different position in his life than he was when I met him at 22,” Stine said. “We have a relationship. It's a coach-player relationship, but it's also a friendship. So when you're friends and mentors and working together with someone for as long as we've been together, your relationship changes.

“Hopefully it continues to mellow in the right way, like a fine bottle of wine that just keeps getting better and better with age. I'm very comfortable and happy with where our relationship is, both as coach and player, but also as friends.”

Paul suffered a slight setback last week in Stuttgart, where he woke up with a stiff neck and withdrew ahead of his first-round match. But the American has notched two convincing wins at Queen’s Club so far and will aim to continue his momentum against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Friday’s quarter-finals.