Tommy Paul says goal is not to be top American ahead of Shelton and Tiafoe: "It's to be at the top of the game"

World number 14 Tomy Paul has revealed that his objective is to become the best player in the world, not just the best player in America.

The 26-year-old recently became the second-highest ranked player from America after Taylor Fritz after clinching the Dallas Open with a win over Marcos Giron with a score of 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.

Talking after the match, Paul stated that his objective is not just to become the best American player but instead to grab the top spot in the ATP ranking.

"I think we’re all pretty aware of our rankings and where we sit in the American race,” he said. “But I don’t like…, all of our goals are to win tournaments and get in the Top 10 or get in the Top 5 or win big tournaments.

"I mean that’s the goal for me, I’m not speaking for everybody, But for me, it [the goal] is not to be ahead of Ben, or not to be ahead of Tiafoe. It’s to be at the top of the game, be up there playing those guys in the finals of the biggest tournaments. That’s the biggest thing for me."

The victory was a much-needed boos for Paul who had a rather below-par Australian Open where he lost to Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-0.