"Am I about to really beat Roger Federer? This is crazy" - Frances Tiafoe revisits 'unreal' US Open experience against Swiss
Frances Tiafoe recalled his experience playing against Roger Federer at the US Open after his fourth-round win over Alexei Popyrin at this year's edition of the hardcourt Major. According to Tiafoe, at the end of that encounter against the former World No. 1 and 20-time Grand Slam champion, he felt prepared to regularly contest matches against elite players on tennis' biggest stages.
Federer was drawn against 19-year-old Tiafoe in the first round of the 2017 US Open. At the time, the Swiss was chasing his 20th Major crown, while Tiafoe was making a name for himself on the ATP Tour. The pair had clashed earlier that year at the Miami Open, and on that occasion, Tiafoe had tested Federer but ultimately lost in straight sets.
At Flushing Meadows though, the American went toe-to-toe with Federer, winning the first set 6-4. However, the Swiss roared back into the contest and took the second and third sets 6-2, and 6-1, respectively. Tiafoe though, wasn't done yet, bouncing back admirably to take the fourth set 6-1 and send the match into its fifth and deciding set. Eventually, Federer came out on top when it mattered most, clinching the decider 6-4 and ending the pulsating two-hour-37-minute contest.
Following his 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3, fourth-round win over Australian Alexei Popyrin at the 2024 US Open on Sunday, September 1, Frances Tiafoe remembered the 2017 clash against Roger Federer. The former World No. 10 said that he was both excited and anxious at the same time ahead of the match.
"I remember I was so amped but so nervous. I'm like, 'Dude, I'm playing Roger.' He's going to be wearing the all-black Nike fit. It's going to be sick. New York, lights are so bright, I was like, 'This is going to be unreal,'" Frances Tiafoe said.
"And then when we went five (sets), I was just like, 'Yo, am I about to really beat this dude? This is crazy.' But I think, you know, that definitely gets said to me that I'm ready for these moments. I like to be in these moments. I'm comfortable there," he added.
The American would square off against Federer once more that year, in what turned out to be their final meeting before the Swiss called time on his illustrious career in 2022.
Roger Federer comfortably won his final singles clash against Frances Tiafoe
Roger Federer and Frances Tiafoe's first two meetings on the ATP Tour saw the American pose serious challenges to the Swiss. However, their final encounter, yet another first-round encounter, this time at the 2017 Swiss Indoors in Basel, was dominated by the Swiss.
Against Tiafoe in Basel, Federer was devastating, maintaining a perfect 100% win percentage on first serve. The Swiss also engineered ten break point opportunities, converting four of them. Meanwhile, Tiafoe, who was barely allowed to settle by Federer, could not muster a single breakpoint opportunity. Ultimately, Federer stormed to a one-sided, 6-1, 6-3 win.
Tiafoe, who idolized Federer growing up, would eventually play a pivotal role in bringing the curtain down on Federer's glittering career. The American, alongside compatriot Jack Sock, defeated Federer and Nadal in doubles action at the 2022 Laver Cup, marking the end of the Swiss' professional playing days.