In his own words, Frances Tiafoe was lost, struggling to find himself on the court, taking the game for granted. He swapped out coaches (going from Wayne Ferreira to David Witt), grasped for direction, anything to figure himself out. He was “losing to clowns.”
“During that time when I’m doing that, I’m losing a lot. It was definitely tough,” confided Tiafoe this week in New York, where he’s into the Round of 16 at the US Open for the fourth year in a row.
After a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 loss to countryman Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open, he went into a tailspin. Outside of helping Team World successfully defend their Laver Cup trophy in Vancouver, he crawled his way through the remainder of the season, winning just three of his last nine matches. That trend would continue in 2024. Coming into the Mubadala Citi DC Open in July, he was below .500, a lackluster 16-17 on the year. Having cracked the Top 10, his ranking slid to No. 30.
"You’ve got an ego that gets hurt and things like that," he said. "You don’t want to play. Your practices are bad. You just go down a rabbit hole. It’s all part of the process, man.
"You know, outside of every tough moment, success is at the end of the tunnel, but a lot of people quit right before that, and I wasn’t trying to do that."
Maybe it was the comfort of being back on home turf in Washington, but Tiafoe seemed to rediscover his purpose at the ATP 500 stop. He powered past eighth-ranked Andrey Rublev, 6-4, 7-6(3), to reach the quarterfinals. Then came the Cincinnati Open, where played his way into the first ATP Masters 1000 final of his career. Coming into the 2024 US Open, Tiafoe again had that motivation he had so desperately been seeking.
“You know, outside of every tough moment, success is at the end of the tunnel, but a lot of people quit right before that, and I wasn’t trying to do that.”
"That joy came again. I wanted to practice. I wanted to be me. I was ready to play," said the 26-year-old Tiafoe. "I put myself in a hot seat making that ‘clown’ comment, so you have to back yourself [up] a little bit when you make comments like that."
"It’s not like I’m out here, you know, running up Mount Kilimanjaro. I’m not changing anything crazy. I just got the joy again, bro. You start looking outwards and being like, ‘Man, I’m blessed to do what I do.’"
The ultimate measuring stick came last week: a rematch with Shelton in Arthur Ashe Stadium, this time in Round 3. He came into the much-hyped affair with the right mindset, as he would say, "ready for war". One of five American men presently ranked inside the Top 20 for the first time since 1996, Tiafoe played inspired tennis in pulling off a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 victory.
I think it's been something I have been doing much better. I just don’t lay down," he said. "Having pride in myself, just don’t lay down. I’ve been working on myself so much, trying to just look at the glass differently. I just want to win or lose matches knowing the guy beat me, [that] I didn’t beat myself. No free lunches. I’m not trying to help my opponent get over the line."
With the Shelton test out of the way, Tiafoe turns his attention to the dethroner, Alexei Popyrin, who stunned defending champion Novak Djokovic on Friday night. The 25-year-old Aussie is as hot as anyone, having captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title last month in Montreal. With his quadrant of the draw now wide open, Tiafoe knows he’s got to make the most of his opportunities, beginning with the power-serving Popyrin. If he can nullify his opponent’s signature weapon the way he, at times, did against Shelton, a return trip to the US Open quarterfinals could be in the cards.
"I’m probably playing the best tennis of my life right now," said Tiafoe ahead of the first-time matchup. [Popyrin]'s always been really talented. He’s starting to put it together. He's been working really hard. He’s a great guy; great player. He’s going to be tough. You don’t expect anything easy at this point. He’s going to serve big, big forehand, come to the net, do all those things. You have to be ready."
Once lost, Frances Tiafoe sure sounds like he’s found himself again.
