Ethan Quinn is breathing fresh air into his career at Roland Garros, and he's not wasting a second of it.
The 21-year-old American qualifier was staring down the barrel in his first-round clash with No. 16 seed Grigor Dimitrov, trailing by two sets. But fate had other plans. As Quinn began to rally, Dimitrov—after receiving treatment for his left thigh—was forced to retire, handing the American a dramatic win at 6-2, 6-3, 2-6.
It wasn’t just a win—it was a full-circle moment. Quinn, a lifelong tennis nerd, once modeled parts of his game after Dimitrov. After the match, the Bulgarian veteran urged Quinn and his team to make the most of this unexpected window.
“It was a surreal experience playing someone like Grigor—especially since I used to copy his serve as a kid,” Quinn told Tennis.com in Paris. “It really felt like everything had come around.”
Quinn admitted to mimicking many stars growing up—Alexander Zverev, Milos Raonic, and others. “Every time a new player showed up, I’d think, Man, I want to imitate that!” he laughed.
But now, Quinn has grown into his own skin—especially with his forehand, which he calls his biggest weapon. “Hopefully one day, someone will say, I want a forehand like Ethan Quinn,” he said with a grin.
That explosive forehand has shades of one of his idols, Juan Martin del Potro. “I watched hours of footage on how Del Potro generated such power and pace,” he said. “Now I try to bring that same kind of energy to my own game.”
A former college tennis standout, Quinn was the No. 1 recruit in 2022 and turned pro shortly after claiming the 2023 NCAA Singles Championship with the University of Georgia. (In true Bulldog fashion, he wore a UGA cap during the interview in Paris.)
But stepping into the pro circuit hit him like a cold shower. Gone were the college comforts. On tour, Quinn had to face battle-hardened veterans and sharp new faces week after week.
The pressure nearly pushed him back to school—until a key figure stepped in: Tommy Paul. Paul's coach, Brad Stine, a fellow Fresno native, had known Quinn since he was just six. Reconnecting during the COVID lockdown in 2020, Stine began guiding him again. Now, Stine coaches both Paul and Quinn, along with Brian Garber, and the friendship between the two players has proven vital to Quinn’s growth.
“Tommy’s given me tons of advice—some I take, some I don’t,” Quinn laughed. “But looking back, I’ve definitely taken more than I realized.”
And it’s not every day a Top 10 player gives you a roadmap for success.
Armed with that wisdom, Quinn is making waves in what’s shaping up to be a breakthrough season. On his first European clay-court tour, he grabbed his first Masters 1000 win in Madrid and just punched into his first Grand Slam third round after a gritty five-set war with Alexander Shevchenko: 6-4, 4-6, 6-7(5), 7-6(3), 7-5.
One of his defining experiences this season came in Barcelona, where he locked horns with top seed Carlos Alcaraz. Despite losing 6-2, 7-6(6), Quinn took the fight to the defending Roland Garros champion, even pushing him to a tiebreak in the second.
He left the court smiling—and hungry.
“Right after that match, I dove into the film,” Quinn explained. “Watching Alcaraz play is like seeing magic—his movement, his shot selection, it’s unreal.”
“But it’s also wild seeing how different it feels on court versus how it looks on camera. That film becomes your assistant coach.”
Now, Quinn has a date with Tallon Griekspoor in the third round on Saturday, eyes locked on reaching the second week of a Slam for the very first time.
Description:
"Rising American tennis star Ethan Quinn is making waves at Roland Garros 2025. From a dramatic win over Grigor Dimitrov to a breakthrough season on clay, discover how Quinn is turning childhood dreams into Grand Slam success."