INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Tommy Paul is going to be seriously annoyed if his stay in the top 10 of the men’s tennis rankings amounts to a five-week cup of coffee.
When tennis players go into a soliloquy about how they don’t pay attention to the rankings or have the faintest idea how many points they have — or stand to lose — from week to week or match to match, they’re not being entirely honest.
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These men and women signed up for a life where numbers define them. They know there is a difference between being No. 5 and No. 6, and No. 10 and No. 11, and No. 1
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