Tommy Paul fell short in his bid to reach the second week at Wimbledon for the second time on Friday, losing to Hubert Hurkacz on Court No.2, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-2.

For Hurkacz, it was an emotional return to the very court where his recent knee troubles began. In 2024, the Pole took a nasty fall and tore his meniscus during a second-round loss to Arthur Fils.

A year later, Hurkacz is still working his way back toward top form. The World No.96 (formerly No.6) looked much closer to his best against Paul, firing 20 aces and saving four of five break points.

For Paul, the afternoon turned into a frustrating ordeal. After taking the opening set, he never managed another break of serve, and by the fourth, fatigue had clearly set in.

Yes, fatigue. A rarity for Paul, who has built a reputation as one of the fittest players on tour over the last few seasons.

“In terms of my grass-court season, definitely not too pumped about it,” he said. “I played pretty well at Queen’s. And then here, I don’t know, I wanted to do better obviously.”

What happened in the fourth set was unacceptable, Paul said. Asked why he appeared so frustrated as the match slipped away, he didn’t hold back.

“I was pissed, because I felt like my legs were very, very tired,” he said. “You know, you’re playing Wimbledon. You want to be prepared. I mean, I feel like it’s pretty unacceptable for your legs to fail you, especially this early in a Grand Slam. So I was very upset about that.

“Hubi, he won the second and third set, I mean, straight up. Then the fourth, my legs let me down a little bit. I don’t think that’s really ever been a problem of mine.”

Paul gave full credit to Hurkacz.

“He’s playing great tennis. I’m happy for him. I like Hubi a lot. I hope he does well.”

But he couldn’t shake the disappointment of not feeling physically capable of seeing the match through. He revealed that he “started cramping up” in the fourth set.

“It’s honestly more frustrating, because, I mean, we thought obviously we came into the tournament feeling pretty prepared,” he said. “And then Round 3, my legs were bothering me. That shouldn’t happen, and it won’t happen.”