Ultimate test

"I'm happy to play a player of Paul's caliber; it will give me an indication of where I stand going into the Australian Open."

Indeed, Tommy Paul really is back. He hasn’t been seriously tested yet, but I find his game is already dialed in, and the conditions suit him perfectly. To me, he’s the very definition of a complete player, and the one who’s had the most success at the Australian Open is a certain Djokovic, another complete player. I think he’s going to be very hard for Vukic to handle, because he does everything well. The Australian will need to produce a real “purple match” in my opinion, but he’s capable of it. He has nothing to lose and can already be satisfied with his run before the Australian Open. All he has to do now is unleash his serve/forehand and play the match of his life. It’s also a chance to see where he’s at physically, since this will be his fifth match in as many days. If he was able to pose a physical challenge to Vavassori in the previous round, I’m not sure he should try the same approach here given Paul’s mobility. At the same time, the American loves to play aggressive tennis. I think we’re going to see the limits of Vukic’s game here, because I sense a very determined Tommy Paul who wants to rack up court time. I don’t really see many tactical solutions for the Australian either, so it’s a perfect-match-or-nothing scenario!