Thanks in part to back-to-back memorable runs at the U.S. Open (semifinals in 2022 and quarterfinals in 2023), Frances Tiafoe climbed as high as No. 10 in the world in June of 2023.
Fast forward 13 months and the 26-year-old is down at 29th in the rankings, saddled with a mediocre-at-best 16-15 match record this season. He has advanced past the quarterfinals at just two events, reaching the semis in Delray Beach and the final in Houston–both small ATP 250s.
However, a stellar performance at Wimbledon and a new coach in his box may have Tiafoe heading back on the right track. In round one at the All-England Club the American staged his first comeback from two sets down, beating Matteo Arnaldi. In the third round he led eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz by a set and a break and was a tiebreaker away from finishing off the upset before ultimately losing in five.
Said Tiafoe of the Wimbledon loss, “It’s tough, right? Obviously you’re put on such a high and you come down, you kind of have to rebuild it again. I’m kind of over it now. At the time it was definitely tough. He’s beaten me twice in slams in five and ends up winning them–so that’s not easy to swallow, is it? At the end of the day he’s one of the game’s greats already. He would be a Hall of Famer if he retired today. But he’s gonna see me again; we’re gonna do this again. We’ve got another opportunity in about a month (at the U.S. Open).”
For now Tiafoe has an opportunity in the final installment of the Atlanta Open, and he is there with new coach David Witt. A long-time coach of Venus Williams, Witt most recently had great success with Jessica Pegula. Now the 51-year-old is taking his talents to the ATP Tour.
“He’s the man,” Tiafoe said of Witt following a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Aslan Karatsev in the Atlanta second round on Thursday afternoon. “I called him right after I played at Wimbledon and I was like, ‘bro, you wanna do something? You’re a free agent right now and so am I. So let’s do something; let’s try to have a good partnership. Obviously he did really well with Venus (Williams) and Jess (Pegula); some unbelievable years with [them]. I was trying to find a coach for a little bit and it wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be. He’s super chill and so am I. So I was like, ‘let’s do it.’ So it worked out well. So far he’s got one win with me, so it’s good.”
Any win these days is a good one for the Maryland native, who is trying to find the fun in tennis again. That’s what endeared him to the New York faithful–and really to fans around the world–over the past couple of years, but the weight of expectations and the piling up of losses soured his demeanor. Now he is trying to recapture the magic.
“I’m trying to not put too much pressure on myself–not feeling like I need to do so well or [have high] expectations,” Tiafoe explained. “Honestly, just go out there and enjoy myself and get the crowd crowd going, smile and enjoy week to week. Results are gonna come as they will; don’t force the issue. I think that’s the biggest thing–I got lost in expectations. Just try to have fun; [the result] will take care of itself.”
[yop_poll id=”1359″]
let’s go Big Foe
Good choice, Frances. I think David Witt’s strength is the mental side of the game. You have the talent — he’ll help you deal with your own expectations and not allow the stress to invade your territory…