Adrian Mannarino Rubbishes Cold Handshake Accusation Against Tommy Paul at the Miami Open

Tommy Paul will face Raphael Collignon in the third round of the Miami Open.

Adrian Mannarino Rubbishes Cold Handshake Accusation Against Tommy Paul at the Miami Open

Tommy Paul and Adrian Mannarino (via X/Tiempo de Tennis)

In Short
  • Tommy Paul defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Miami Open.
  • Mannarino denied accusations of a cold handshake, stating he wished Paul good luck after the match.
  • Paul signed a two-year endorsement deal with fishing boat manufacturer Yellowfin prior to the tournament.

Tommy Paul faced Adrian Mannarino in the second round of the Miami Open in Florida. The American star, who failed to get past the third round of the Indian Wells Open last week, was seeking redemption at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament and earned it with a three-set win against the Frenchman.

Paul and Mannarino didn’t play at their best on the court in their second-round meeting at the Miami Open. The match-up was old-school tennis, with both players seeking means to beat the other. However, it was a relatively easy first set for Paul, who broke Mannarino in three sets to win 6-2.

But in the second set, Mannarino gave a very great performance, switching the momentum to his side. He broke Paul early to take the lead, hitting excellent forehands and groundstrokes that caught the American star unawares. Paul began to struggle with his leg in the middle of the set, and that made Mannarino more confident.

Mannarino won the set 6-2 in less than forty minutes. The deciding set began with Mannarino continuing with the momentum. He wasted no time breaking Paul and earning a 3-1 lead in the nervy match. Paul, who is one of the toughest players to beat on tour, then decided to take a medical timeout due to an apparent ankle injury that he was struggling with.

He resumed play and began to move decently, winning three consecutive games to take the 4-3. He then continued his aggressive style of play, which forced Mannarino to make uncharacteristic mistakes on the court. Paul ran away with the win 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 after over two hours to reach the third round of the Miami Open.

However, a reporter on X, known as Jose Morgado, revealed in his update about the win that Mannarino gave Paul a cold handshake even though the American star had rolled his ankle during the tie:

Tommy Paul comes back from 1-3 down in the 3rd set to beat Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 and reach the 3rd round in Miami. Cold handshake as Mannarino didn’t buy Paul’s MTO at 1-2 in the 3rd. But Paul *in fact* rolled his ankle badly.

Mannarino replied to the accusations, stressing that he spoke with Paul on the net after the match and even wished him good luck:

I didn’t see any cold handshake, I told him, well done and good luck, and he replied, thanks man.

Mannarino entered the Miami Open just days after crashing out in the second round of the Phoenix Challenger. He had lost to Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the Indian Wells Open, which gave him a chance to feature in the ATP Challenger tournament in the United States of America.

Tommy Paul signs endorsement deal with boat manufacturing company

Tommy Paul signed a new endorsement with fishing boat manufacturer Yellowfin before the Miami Open kicked off. The American star has not yet disclosed the details of the deal with the boat company, which, according to reports, will be a two-year deal between Paul and the fishing boat manufacturing company.

Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul (Image via X/ATP Tour)

The primary asset Yellowfin will receive in the deal is a logo placement on Paul’s racket bag. The company also held a photoshoot with Paul on one of its boats ahead of the Miami Open. The World No.23 joins golf YouTuber Grant Horvat as a Yellowfin endorser in sports. Paul has sponsorship portfolios with New Balance (for his apparel) and Yonex (racket).

Also, he has endorsement deals with Motorola, Celsius, De Bethune, Hilton, Burberry, Dymatize, and Simple Mills. The American star will now face Raphael Collignon in the third round of the Miami Open. Collignon defeated Flavio Cobolli in the second round of the tournament to reach the third round this season.

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