Wimbledon fans have joked they’re ‘disappointed’ Tommy Paul has crashed out of the tournament as they were looking forward to his influencer girlfriend ‘lifting the trophy like she’d won’.
The American tennis player, 27, from New Jersey, lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a nail-biting four-set match on Court One yesterday.
Earlier this year, the sportsman – who is currently ranked world No 12 – clinched the Queen’s Club title and invited his girlfriend Paige Lorenze, 26, to take photos with him on the court.
During the ‘cringe’ photoshoot, Paige – who boasts 650,000 Instagram followers – was also filmed repeatedly grabbing her boyfriend by the neck and holding onto her boyfriend’s trophy.
Following his loss, fans joked how they had been looking forward to a similar spectacle if Tommy had won Wimbledon.
One wrote on X: ‘I’m pleased for [Carlos] Alcaraz but I was kind of looking forward to seeing Tommy Paul’s girlfriend life the trophy on Sunday.’
Another added: ‘Tommy Paul winning would be funny just to see how his girlfriend tries to hog the limelight!’
Sharing a Desperate Housewives GIF of Bree Van de Kamp preparing herself for a fight, a third teased: ‘Tommy Paul’s girlfriend who was dreaming for another trophy celebration photo with him… waiting outside the court like this.’
Last month, Paige – who previously competed in alpine skiing – broke the norm by joining Tommy on court following his Queen’s triumph and was accused of ‘acting like she had won’.
The viral video ended with Paige appearing to give the photographers instructions before it then cut off.
A critic joked on X: ‘Breaking: Paige Lorenze has made history by becoming the first woman to (pretend to) win the Queen’s Club Men’s Singles tennis tournament.’
Meanwhile, another labelled the video of Paige grabbing Tommy’s neck ‘awkward and uncomfortable indeed’.
‘This is all so cringe,’ a third wrote. ‘Since when are girlfriends on court especially at a prestigious historic stage as Queen’s? Tennis is becoming a reality TV show.’
‘This is the weirdest pose with a trophy E.V.E.R,’ a fourth said. ‘She reminds me of a Kardashian thirsty for fame.’
Later that day, Paige published a gushing post about her boyfriend’s Queen’s success on her Instagram.
She wrote: ‘Love celebrating your hard-earned victory alongside you.
‘I am so proud of you, and grateful to be by your side through every win and challenge. Here’s to many more! I love you!’
Appearing on The Slice Tennis podcast, Tommy Paul’s coach Brad Stine said the criticism of Paige was ‘not warranted’.
Jumping to the influencer’s defence, Brad said: ‘It wasn’t like she forced her way onto the court, she was asked to come to the court – both by Tommy and the tournament’s photographers.
‘They all wanted that opportunity. So to me, it’s just a lot of jealousy and typical of stuff that comes with social media. I feel very bad for her.’
Lorenze met her current beau during the 2022 US Open. Throughout the first year of their relationship, she joined him at tournaments around the world and continued building her lifestyle brand Dairy Boy.
‘Tommy continues to support me, my business Dairy Boy, and my life in Connecticut and in turn, I’m able to show my support by traveling with him and being by his side at every tournament,’ she told Page Six last year.