(Reuters) -Tommy Paul has had to put off-court distractions in his rear view mirror at the Italian Open this week after the American’s beloved truck was repossessed at his home in Florida.
Paul beat Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(4) 6-3 on Thursday to set up a semi-final against Jannik Sinner in Rome but it was clear the fate of his Ford F-150 was a worry for the world number 12, who has made more than $10 million in career prize money.
“It’s been a great week on court so far. I feel like I’ve been getting a little bit better with every match. Off court, a little bit of a stressful week,” said Paul.
“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.”
Paul, who later shared a video on Instagram of his vehicle being towed away, added that his truck was on the way back home after he paid a $1,000 fine to the authorities.
“I’m excited to get it back. I had to win a couple matches so I could pay that off,” said Paul after pocketing 291,040 euros ($325,964) for reaching the last four.
Paul is the first American man to reach consecutive semi-finals in Rome since Pete Sampras in 1993-94 and he could return to the top 10 with a win over world number one Sinner.
He is also seeking his first title of the season after capturing three in 2024 and a win in Rome would be the perfect build up to the French Open, which begins on May 25.
($1 = 0.8929 euros)
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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