The American tennis player picked up the third singles title of his career over the weekend when he defeated Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets 6-1, 7-6 (8) at Queen’s Club in West Kensington, London, UK, weeks before Wimbledon, Fox News reported on Monday (June 24). The 27-year-old reportedly became the first American to win the tournament since Sam Querrey in 2010.  Nevertheless, his impressive win was briefly overshadowed by an awkward moment captured on camera, leading to a clip that has since been circulating on social media.

Tommy Paul’s influencer girlfriend, Paige Lorenze, ignited mockery on social media 

Share icon Image credits: Clive Brunskill/Getty X page (formerly known as Twitter) The New Gen posted the now-infamous footage on Sunday (June 23), describing the moment: “If Tommy Paul’s girlfriend could, she would kick him and pose with the trophy herself.” The clip, which amassed over 1.7 million views on X, saw Paige breaking the norm by joining Tommy on the court to pose with her boyfriend’s trophy while frequently grabbing his neck.  Moreover, in the last seconds of the short video, the 26-year-old influencer seemed to give instructions to the photographers.

— TheNewGen 🐝 (@thenewgenatp) June 23, 2024 As Tommy remained stiff while holding his impressive prize, Paige’s alleged inappropriate behavior drew criticism, as an X user commented: “I’ve never seen any other players partners be in their post-match on-court trophy photos.” A person wrote: “Over-Under on how long this is gonna last?!” “Get out Tommy she’s got you in a headlock mate..the writing is in the wall,” a netizen argued.

A viral clip showed the couple posing together at the Queen’s Club Championships

  A post shared by Paige Lorenze (@paigelorenze) A separate individual chimed in: “Not going to end well.  Fortunately, neck resistance won out. “Stay strong, he likely has a stage 5 clinger on his hands.” The New Gen reshared the same clip on Monday, humorously writing in the caption: “Tommy Paul has just announced that he will not play Wimbledon due to a neck injury.” Share icon Image credits: tommypaull In professional tennis, it is not customary for partners or significant others to join players on the court for post-match trophy photos.  Typically, these ceremonies are reserved for the athletes themselves, along with officials and sometimes their coaches.  Last year’s Madrid Open illustrates these norms and the formalities associated with post-match trophy ceremonies.

According to viewers, Paige appeared just a little too eager to flaunt her man’s victory

Share icon Image credits: tommypaull During the 2023 Madrid Open, American tennis player Jessica Pegula expressed her disappointment over the “silencing” of the women’s doubles finalists. At the time, the tournament ended controversially as runners-up Jessica and Coco Gauff and winners Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia were not allowed to do the traditional post-match trophy speeches following the final, Tennis365 reported in May 2023. After the quartet was handed their trophies and posed for pictures, there reportedly was confusion on the podium, as no microphones were handed to any of the players and the ceremony ended without any speeches. Share icon Image credits: paigelorenze Despite the ongoing backlash provoked by the viral clip of the pair, Tommy shared a carousel of photographs highlighting his win on Instagram on Monday featuring a picture of him and Paige holding his trophy together. “What a week! @cinchchampionships,” the athlete wrote. “Proud to share this trophy with the best team in the world @hugoboss527 @pf.francoherrero @bstime @sebacozzarin @chrisgmccormack @paigelorenze @frwdtraining.” Paige shared her own carousel of the event on Instagram on Monday, featuring the trophy, her holding the prize with her boyfriend, and glimpses of the competition. “Love celebrating your hard-earned victory alongside you @tommypaull,” she opened up to her 633,000 followers. “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!” 

“Maybe it’s him showing her off,” a reader countered

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