Tommy Paul reveals "favorite shot" of his career before semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open 2023 ft. Stunned Rafael Nadal
Tommy Paul recently revealed that the favorite shot he's ever hit was against Rafael Nadal at last year's Paris Masters. Paul beat Nadal 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 on that day to register his maiden win over the Mallorcan.
The American struck the shot in question with the score at 1-1, 40-30 on the Spaniard's serve. Nadal pushed Paul way behind the tramlines with two glorious shots but the latter responded in style with a spectacular one-handed passing shot, which left the crowd in raptures.
Tennis TV recently posted a clip of the point on social media, which the American reposted and remarked with the following:
"Probably my favorite shot I've ever hit," Tommy Paul said on Instagram.
The point and the shot can be watched below from the 0:14 mark:
Even the legendary Spaniard was stunned by Paul's shot for a couple of seconds as he stood in disbelief and wondered if the ball landed inside the court or not.
Speaking to the media after his win over the 22-time Major champion, Paul had then called the win the "best" of his career.
"It's probably my best win, I was obviously pumped for the match-up because it's always interesting when you play one of the big three," Tommy Paul said.
Tommy Paul is the penultimate barrier between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slams
Novak Djokovic is two wins away from equaling Rafael Nadal's all-time tally of 22 Grand Slams. He will first face Tommy Paul in the semifinals on Friday, before facing either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Karen Kchanov in the summit clash.
Paul, who has been in fine form in Melbourne so far, is yet to face Djokovic on tour. However, he will hope to do better than the likes of Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev, who struggled to even win games against the mighty Serb.
Should the 35-year-old triumph on Friday and on Sunday, he will also clinch a record-extending 10th Australian Open title, taking him a whopping four titles ahead of second-placed Roger Federer (and Roy Emerson, who also won six, but in the Amateur Era).
The Serb's recent form makes him the overwhelming favorite in this clash, but as demonstrated by Paul's scintillating passing shot against Nadal, he has a vast repertoire of shots in his armory, with which he can do some damage. But it remains to be seen if his arsenal is near enough to punch a hole through Djokovic's impregnable defense.