"A Mount Rushmore person like her, seeing the normality in her was crazy; she treats everybody with such respect, a true leader" - Frances Tiafoe on Serena Williams
Frances Tiafoe has joined a growing chorus of players to heap praise on Serena Williams. The 40-year-old, who recently announced her plans to retire from the sport, was likened to 'Mouth Rushmore' by Tiafoe.
Tiafoe began his 2022 US Open campaign with a 7-6(0), 6-4, 6-3 win against Marcos Giron. In his post-match press conference, the 24-year-old recalled memories of sharing the court with Williams at the Hopman Cup and stated that she was a "true leader."
"That's my guy [Serena Williams], man. I mean, I came out there, walked out today. I stayed last night. I mean, I played Hopman Cup with her. Spent that time with her. I mean, then after that just how genuine she is. Giving me two cents all the time. How normal she is at the same time. Hanging out with her all week, doing dinners with her, stuff like that, seeing her crack jokes, so normal," he said.
"Seeing someone who is a Mount Rushmore person like her, seeing the normality in her was crazy. How she treats everybody with such respect, everything like that. Just a true leader. Being able to share the court with her, being able to practice with her in the off-season. She's like, 'Aren't you coming over to the house? We have lunch.' She's really taken me in. She just wants to see me do well," he added.
Serena Williams made her long-awaited comeback at the Eastbourne International this year, playing in the doubles with Ons Jabeur. Tiafoe stated that he had a long conversation with his compatriot at the tournament and that he's sad to see her call time on her career.
"I seen her in Eastbourne. We had an hour conversation after practice on the court, telling me all kinds of stuff. It's sad. It's sad to see her go. I love how she's saying she's evolving and not retiring," he said.
"If I could have that career, so iconic, she's like the queen" - Frances Tiafoe on Serena Williams
Serena Williams was in action on Monday, where she beat Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 to progress to the second round of the 2022 US Open. She received a rousing reception when she walked onto the court for her match, and the decibel levels did not go down throughout her match.
After the contest, the home crowd was ecstatic with her victory. The post-match ceremony included Billie Jean King heaping praise on Williams as well as American talk show host and author Oprah Winfrey lending her voice to a heart-stirring montage celebrating the 23-time Major winner's achievements.
Frances Tiafoe, who was in the stadium to catch her first-round match, was astounded by the deserved reception she got before and after the match.
"Yeah [I was there]. If I could have that career, man. You think about last night, like every who's who was in there last night just showing love of what she did for the last 20-plus years. Like from warmup people were going crazy. What she wore out to the court. I mean, c'mon. I was like, man, that's so iconic. She's like the queen. It's crazy," he said.
"Sitting there watching that, this is wild. Got me emotional. First serve girl misses, crowd is going crazy. I'm just happy she won. Whole family came out after the match, after the W," he added.
Tiafoe predicted that the six-time US Open champion is capable of winning her next match too, which is against Anett Kontaveit.
"I think she can even win tomorrow. I'm going to come out again tomorrow. One of those things you can't miss honestly. Kind of irrelevant what I'm doing. Not irrelevant, but you know what I'm saying. Very relevant out there (laughter). You know what I mean by that. Yeah, I mean, I'm just so happy for her, so happy for her she's going out in her own way. Hopefully she's going to have a Cinderella story," he concluded.
The first career meeting between Serena Williams and Kontaveit is scheduled to start at approximately 7 pm (ET) at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.