Tommy Paul has revealed that he needed to win enough money at the Italian Open to recover his truck, which had been taken away from him. The man from Florida is through to the semi-finals in Rome, having enjoyed a surge in form during the tournament. He has beaten the likes of Tomas Machac, Alex de Minaur and Hubert Hurkacz on his way to the last four.
While it has been plain sailing for Paul on the clay, things have been going less smoothly in his personal life. His beloved truck was repossessed earlier this week, with the American suffering the consequences of ‘missing a couple payments’. He has earned millions throughout his career but admitted that he needed to win enough prize money in Rome to pay the recovery fee.
Paul explained: “On court everything has been going pretty well. Off court, a little bit of a stressful week. I got my truck repossessed. I missed a couple payments and they took my truck from my house this week.
“I’ve been grinding to get my truck back. If you know me, that’s my baby. Yeah, really grinding to get that back. [I live] in Florida, in Boca Raton. I don’t want to give out my full address.”
Paul revealed the cost of the recovery fee was $1,000 (£752), adding: “I already paid it back. A grand. I have my trainer going to pick it up today. Ford took it back. I’m excited to get it back. I had to win a couple matches so I could pay that off.”
Having reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open, Paul is already guaranteed to receive around £245,000 in prize money. If he beats Jannik Sinner to earn a place in the final, that figure will increase to around £440,414.
The winner of the Italian Open will take home over £828,000, which is more than enough to buy multiple Ford trucks should Paul wish to treat himself to a new vehicle.
Before he can start thinking about the title, Paul will need to pass his biggest test yet by making it past Sinner in the semi-finals. The young Italian demolished Casper Ruud in a total mismatch on Thursday evening, securing a 6-0 6-1 victory.
Looking ahead to his upcoming clash with Sinner, Paul said: “[He’s the] best player in the world. He’s excited to be playing here in Rome, I’m sure. I’ve been watching him play this week. It’s been fun to watch, doesn’t feel like he’s rusty very much at all.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk