“I’ve been in Top 20 for a couple years now. And now I can just kind of keep going and keep pushing and try to get back to where I need to be in the top of the game,” a disappointed Frances Tiafoe said last year after missing the trophy in Cincinnati Masters final. Despite swaying with his form at different intervals, like entering the SF rounds of the US Open in 2022 and then 2024, Tiafoe has struggled to maintain consistency. Even this season, he made it to the summit clash in Houston last month, but failed to emerge victorious. Due to the lack of constant impact, some of the American ATP pros believe he’s got a long road ahead to become the best. But guess what? Tiafoe thinks otherwise.
His 2025 journey hasn’t really left an impact apart from the Houston event. In subsequent campaigns, he struggled with finding his footing. For example, at the Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, Madrid Open, and Italian Open, he was ousted early in R32, R32, R16, and R64. Even in his last tournament before the French Open, in Hamburg, he failed to impress. Earlier this week, he crashed out in R32. Looking at his poor run lately, former American pro and 2003 US Open winner Andy Roddick recently made a wild prediction for the French Open. According to him, Tiafoe won’t go beyond the third round. “I’m going Brooksby to the fourth round,” he said while picking another rising American pro, Jensen Brooksby, over Tiafoe. Brooksby also beat the latter in Houston final last month.
Moreover, 7-time slam winner John McEnroe thinks Tiafoe may not be the one to end the country’s Grand Slam drought. Since Roddick, no American ATP pro has won a major trophy. When asked to pick his favorite player, he went with 22-year-old Ben Shelton over Tiafoe. Why? Per McEnroe, the latter’s “too busy, you know, liking everybody as opposed to getting that killer instinct. I’m hoping that it can be developed.” Contrary to the two greats, however, Tiafoe thinks he’s a capable player already.
Frances Tiafoe of United States during the match against Sebastian Ofner of Austria at the Internazionali BNL d Italia 2025 tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome, Italy on may 10, 2025. AntoniettaxBaldassarre
During a press conference ahead of his French Open campaign, dated May 24, he revealed, “I just think you’re one week away from changing everything. I think the more I think it’s hard not to take as a competitor sure you’re trying to do it the right way it’s hard not to take losses hard. Like knowing who I am I shouldn’t be having the result I’m doing, I shouldn’t be going on the slumps that I do and making them like a normality thing. I shouldn’t be doing that for a guy like my caliber and a guy who’s had this so much experience, you think you would be able to change things or tweak things to put you in a winning position.”
Tiafoe believes that “a couple weeks here and there can automatically change the season just like that and then you can ride that wave.” And hence, “it’s not really as deep as you may make it but you got to be ready for those moments so it’s a matter of just staying ready, staying locked in and having the ultimate belief in yourself and I generally always feel like no matter what, I feel like I’m one of the best players out here period.”
While his confidence is sky-high, his track record going into the French Open doesn’t back him much. Why so?
Frances Tiafoe and his inconsistent runs at the French Open
Frances Tiafoe made his Roland Garros debut exactly a decade ago in 2015. But it wasn’t memorable at all. He crashed out early in the first round against Slovakia’s Martin Kližan. Then, in his second appearance in Paris, during the 2017 edition, he faced another first round exit. In the next two seasons, too, the outcome wasn’t much different.
However, in 2020, Tiafoe did make it to the fourth round, but couldn’t go beyond after a loss to Daniil Medvedev. A year later, the story repeated itself. He was ousted in the first round against Steve Johnson. If one has to look at his last three appearances at the French Open (2022, 2023, and 2024), the World No.16 has failed to go past R64, R32, and R64.
But Tiafoe knows he can make a solid comeback. Where does this belief and confidence stem from? During his Madrid Open campaign last month, ahead of the second round match, he talked about his journey on ‘The Change Over Podcast. Reflecting on his tough mindset, he said, “Honestly, like when I’m really like in a tough, tough spot, I’m like bro, you just build for this. I like it’s never been easy for you. You came from that. You started from the mud”
Tiafoe begins his French Open campaign on Sunday against Russia’s Roman Safiullin. Do you think he will clear the first round and eventually make a deep run this time? Let us know in the comments below.
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