Frances Tiafoe’s clay-court journey leading up to Roland Garros was anything but smooth! While he made a strong run to the final at the ATP Houston Open, his European clay swing told a different story: early exits plagued him with R32 finishes in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, a pair of R16 losses in Madrid and Hamburg, and a surprising R64 defeat in Rome. But the tides have turned dramatically in Paris. Now a key figure in America’s deep run at this year’s French Open on the ATP side, Tiafoe is flying high into the 4th round. What sparked this sudden turnaround, though? Well, Tiafoe has finally revealed the secret behind his Roland Garros breakthrough. Any guesses?
15th seed Frances Tiafoe powered past fellow countryman Sebastian Korda 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-4 in an all-American clash, joining Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton in the French Open fourth round, marking the first time since 1995 that three American men have reached this stage in Paris. The Hyattsville, Maryland native, was clinical on Friday, avenging his 2024 SF loss to Korda at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, where Korda had claimed the title in straight sets.
In addition, since debuting at Roland Garros in 2018, Tiafoe’s best showing had been a 3rd-round appearance in 2023, where he lost to Alexander Zverev. But now, his determined surge on the red clay is turning heads. And after years of struggle on the surface, Tiafoe has finally revealed what ignited the spark that transformed doubt into drive at Roland Garros.
Speaking at his post-match press conference in France, Frances Tiafoe opened up about the mental and technical adjustments that have contributed to his recent surge in form. “I always believe in myself. It’s a matter I didn’t mean to not believe in yourself, but believe that you had your game was close. Yeah, for me it’s all about applying, like if I apply myself, then you know I can you know. Am I shocked at what I’m doing? No, like is am I happy about it? Yeah, because I know what I’m capable of, I know what I can do.”
Image Credits: Frances Tiafoe/Instagram
He then recounted a moment during practice that turned out to be a breakthrough for the American, both mentally and emotionally. “I mean to be honest with you, I snapped the racket in like the probably on Friday. I played on Sunday in practice, and I absolutely lost it. I think and that was critical for me. That was huge. And then I played horrendous in a practice set. Got absolutely killed and then put another practice set that same day, like right after that, after I broke a racket and everything down three-0 find a way to win the set. That was critical for me,” he shared.
Big Foe later also revealed the emotional weight he had been carrying during a string of tough losses, saying the outburst helped him release that pent-up frustration. “Because I like, I’ve been losing all kinds of matches, and I kind of just was nonchalant about it, kind of holding emotions in, not really kind of letting guys know where I’m at, and I just kind of just lost it. And I think that was that was kind of big for me in the sense of just having emotion and understanding like being like ‘Yes this sucks.’”
Even now, in the fourth round of Roland Garros, Tiafoe also reflected on the expectations surrounding his vibrant on-court presence and how he’s navigating that pressure with a renewed mindset he always had.
Frances Tiafoe addresses the challenge of escaping the first set against Korda
Heading into the French Open, Frances Tiafoe had a less-than-stellar track record on European clay this season, holding a 4-5 record with all 5 losses coming against players ranked outside the top 20. His overall record at the French Open didn’t offer much encouragement either: six wins and ten losses, with his best victory coming over 52nd seed Benjamin Bonzi, and six of those defeats occurring in the opening round.
So when Big Foe swept past Sebastian Korda in straight sets for a 3rd consecutive win in Paris, it certainly raised eyebrows. The victory marked his 8th appearance in a GS 4th round and a potential breakthrough moment on the red dirt of Paris. He now has a golden opportunity to reach just his 2nd Grand Slam QF away from home soil. And when did it all come along? From the tight first set win against Korda!
After the match, Tiafoe reflected on how a gritty opening set helped build his rhythm and confidence going forward. “I thought I played really solid,” he added. “I did a really good job in the first set, through long games on serve, and it was hard to lock in on his service games. Just getting out of there, I wasn’t playing my best early but I did a good job of hanging on.”
With his momentum peaking, the American now faces Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in the 4th round, set for Sunday. Given his rise in form and growing confidence, could this be the run that stamps his place in the Parisian Slam’s final 16? What do you think?
The post “It Sucks”- Frances Tiafoe Breaks Silence on Explosive Moment Igniting American Hope at French Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.