Tommy Paul proposed to girlfriend after being left in a boot in horror Wimbledon injury

Tommy Paul made a winning return to competition in Cincinnati and spilled the details on his romantic proposal to his girlfriend, Paige Lorenze. After being hampered by physical issues at the French Open, the world No. 16 picked up a fresh foot injury during his shock second-round defeat at Wimbledon and was forced to wear a protective boot for weeks.

But Paul saw the positives in his setback and used his time on the sidelines to pop the question to Lorenze, who has been supporting him at tournaments across the world since 2022.

The American is finally back in action at this week's Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, his first tournament since he ruptured a tendon in his foot - and his first as an engaged man.

Last month, Paul and Lorenze took to Instagram to confirm their engagement, sharing some snaps from the dreamy proposal set-up in Nantucket.

"I wanted to do it on the beach. But the schedule for the weather was horrible, it was supposed to rain the whole time, so I ended up renting a little cottage and did it there," Paul told the Cincinnati Open as he made his return to the tour.

"Nobody was around, it was just me and her and I thought it was great to have that moment for ourselves.

"I knew I was going to do it for a while, but I didn't know when. Obviously I was out for a little bit, so it was kind of a forced vacation and I was like, 'This is probably the best time for me to do it'.

"It was great because it was her family vacation. I didn't want to take over her family vacation with that, but I guess I kind of did. But it was great."

The forced vacation came after Paul suffered a four-set defeat to Sebastian Ofner at the All England Club. He raced through the opening set before losing 1-6 7-5 6-4 7-5.

"I heard a pop in my foot during the match and then after, I got an MRI. When they tell you that you ruptured a tendon, you just shut it down," Paul said of his foot injury, which left him in a boot for two weeks.

The world No. 16 missed the first few tournaments of the North American swing in Washington and Toronto, and even contemplated skipping Cincinnati. But he enjoyed a successful comeback, beating Pedro Martinez 6-2 6-2 in his first match in over a month.

Paul will now face Adrian Mannarino for a spot in the last 16. And the American is now playing for something extra, as he has a wedding to start saving for.

To be the first to receive the latest tennis news, join our WhatsApp community or newsletter