"For the tournament to have someone like Frances beat Rafael Nadal is huge"- Patrick Mouratoglou heaps praise on Frances Tiafoe
22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal's unbeaten record at Grand Slam events this year was put to an end by Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, in the fourth round of the US Open on Tuesday. French professional tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently shared his views on the loss of the Spaniard.
Patrick Mouratoglou is a former coach of Serena Williams. Mouratoglou has been coaching former World No. 1 Simona Halep since May 2022.
Tiafoe blasted 18 aces as he set up a quarterfinal clash with Andrey Rublev at the New York Major. Mouratoglou took to Instagram to share a few snippets from the electric last 16 encounter, highlighting how Tiafoe outwitted the former World No. 1.
The coach broke down different segments of Tiafoe's gameplan which helped him beat Nadal. Acknowledging that Tiafoe's win was "huge," Mouratoglou commended the American's display of tennis.
"For the tournament to have someone like Frances beat Rafa. It's huge. You know you are not gonna beat Rafa playing long rallies, I mean maybe one or two guys can, hope that. But the only way to beat him is to punch him, to shorten the rallies, to hurt him on every single shot and that's what Frances did incredibly well, Mouratoglou said.
He elaborated on how Tiafoe perfectly executed his plan to shorten Nadal's ability to carry on a rally, which was crucial in his victory against the Spaniard despite it being a risky tactic.
"He found a way to shorten every single rally of the match. He was going full for his shots, which is very risky but with an incredible percentage of success. If I remember after two sets, he had the same amount of unforced errors than Rafa, I think 15 or something like that which is extremely low especially for someone who is so aggressive, he added.
Mouratoglou shifted his focus to the American's serve and noted how well he used his serve to put his game in the right direction from the beginning. He also added how Nadal struggled to keep up with Tiafoe's serve, missed several returns and wagered that it was because the Spaniard was under pressure.
"He served incredibly well, didn't serve a lot of first serves, his percentage of first serve is super low but he served smartly, he served with a lot of slice, a lot of spin, the ball coming out bringing Rafa out of the court on the deuce side, most of the court, opening up the court for the next shot. Serving a lot of slice to Rafa's backhand also on the outside. For one of the first times, I have seen Rafa struggle to return, he missed a lot of returns beacuse he also he felt under pressure, He was out of the court most of the time and on the next shot, Tiafoe was going full. "
"You have to play the perfect match; Frances did that last night and that's why he won" - Patrick Mouratoglou
Frances Tiafoe displayed exceptional form of tennis, ticking all the right boxes to clinch a terrific win over veteran Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the US Open.
Have a moment Frances Tiafoe!
#USOpen https://t.co/egoIVDoRWh
Patrick Mouratoglou commended the American's superb performance and expressed how well Tiafoe studied Nadal's playing style to capitalize on his weaknesses. In the same posted video on Instagram, the coach described how Frances played the "perfect match" to win the clash.
"He has a backhand which is super flat, so not a lot of margin, the forehand is a bit weird and during the match, Rafa tried to hurt Francis on his forehand, he was going full backhand cross on Frances' forehand and Frances was able to shorten his preparation and go down the line all the time and won a lot of points like that. He stuck to the baseline, never went back, which is a key against Rafa," he stated.
"If you start to give him time by moving back then he hits only forehands and you run and it's finished. You have to stick to the baseline, take time away from him and go full and hurt him, taking a lot of risks so it's very difficult. You have to play the perfect match. And I think Frances did that last night and that's why he won," he added.