Tommy Paul calls for longer grass-court season and a Masters 1000 event on grass

Ewan West 18 Jun 2026 5:29 PM

Tommy Paul celebrates his win at Queen's Club

Tommy Paul is once again looking at home at the Queen’s Club Championships, and the American star thinks there should be changes to the grass-court season schedule.

The world No 28 is making his first appearance at the prestigious ATP 500 tournament in London since he won the title in 2024.

Having missed last year’s event through injury, Paul has extended his winning streak at Queen’s to seven matches with two straight-set victories at the 2026 edition.

Paul has advanced to the quarter-finals without dropping a set, having beaten Zachary Svajda 7-5, 6-3 in the first round before earning a 7-6(5), 6-3 second round win over Botic van de Zandschulp.

The main tour grass-court season lasts around a month, from the week after Roland Garros until the end of Wimbledon, and it is the only surface that does not host an ATP or WTA 1000 tournament.

After Paul beat van de Zandschulp on Thursday, Tennis365 asked the 29-year-old if he would like the grass-court season to be longer, and if he thinks there should be a 1000 level event on the surface.

“Yeah, absolutely. We talk about that all the time. I think so, for sure. That would be great,” Paul told Tennis365 in a mixed zone interview at Queen’s Club.

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“I mean, it’s the only surface that we don’t have a Masters 1000 on.

“It is tough, obviously with the schedule. We complain about too many tournaments, but then here I am asking for a Masters 1000 on grass.

“But I don’t see why we don’t. I think it [grass court tennis] is kind of how the tennis started. It’s the tradition in tennis.

“I think that we should have every level of tournament on the surface.”

Paul was also asked why the grass at Queen’s Club suits his game.

“When a lot of players think about Queen’s, they think about a traditional grass court. Much faster, maybe more slippery,” Paul assessed.

“And I think the fact that I’m pretty comfortable moving on the surface allows me to go after something that maybe some people would be a little bit uncomfortable going after, or running down a ball and staying on my feet rather than falling. I think that helps.”

Paul, who was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2024, will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last eight at Queen’s on Friday.