"Remaining my daddy on tennis court" - Tommy Paul reflects on Acapulco final loss against Alex de Minaur, congratulates Aussie on the win

Tommy Paul humorously summed up his Acapulco final loss against Alex de Minaur, saying that he feels the Aussie remains his "daddy" on the tennis court.

Paul faced off against eighth-seed De Minaur in the final of the Mexican Open at the Arena GNP Seguros on Saturday. After achieving a dream run to the semifinals of the Australian Open, the American was keen to build on the momentum and win the title at Acapulco. However, it was De Minaur who registered a comeback win (6-3, 4-6, 1-6) and claim the first ATP 500 crown of his career.

Reflecting on the loss against the Australian, Paul remarked on his opponent bashing him on the court. He also congratulated de Minaur on a great campaign in Acapulco.

"Good week in @abiertomexicanodetenis congrats to @alexdeminaur for the sick week and remaining my daddy on the tennis court," wrote the World No. 19 on Instagram.

Meanwhile, speaking to the press after his title win, De Minaur conveyed that he will cherish the biggest achievement so far in his career for a long time.

"It feels great, it feels amazing. I know the hard work that's put in to be here and it's good to see the results. It's not always that you win the tournament and you get to finish a week unbeaten, so I'll definitely cherish this going into Indian Wells and Miami," expressed the 24-year-old.

The Mexican Open title has propelled De Minaur up the rankings by four spots. He is now No. 18 which is three spots short of his career high of No. 15.

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Tommy Paul express gratitude towards his team after aiding him in impressive campaign at Acapulco

Tommy Paul at the 2023 Australian Open - Day 12

Tommy Paul marked appreciation towards his team for helping him pull off an impressive campaign at the 2023 Mexican Open.

Speaking to the press after the final, Paul observed that he does not credit his team often for the hard work they put out.

"I just thank you guys for making everything so easy. And obviously, throughout the year, we worked really hard and I don’t say ‘thank you guys’ enough. So, thanks for being here," he stated.

He also reflected on the efforts his team took to get him ready for the summit clash against De Minaur on time, which included his girlfriend and trainer blow drying his underwear.

“My team - Brad, Seba, Paige. You guys went through it with me this week. And no one really knows how much we had to do to get ready for this match," said the American. "I had my girlfriend and my trainer blow drying my underwear this morning, trying to get me ready.”

While Tommy Paul endured a disappointing loss in the final, he has things to cheer about. The American has returned to the top 20 of the ATP rankings this week, moving four places up to No. 19.