Frances Tiafoe's decision not to play the Paris Olympics is why he has a chance to win US Open 2024, says Pam Shriver
Although American players previously copped criticism for choosing to skip the 2024 Paris Olympics, Frances Tiafoe's decision has paid off at the US Open, according to Pam Shriver. Tiafoe is through to the quarterfinals of the New York Major, inching closer to his goal of becoming the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to triumph at his home Slam.
Amid his poor run of form during the first half of the season, Tiafoe made the decision to skip the Paris Olympics in order to prioritize his preparation for the US Open. The 26-year-old's choice proved beneficial, as he reached the Atlanta Open quarterfinals and the Citi Open semifinals, as well as made a run to the Cincinnati Open final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.
Frances Tiafoe has also delivered a strong campaign at the US Open, beating Aleksandar Kovacevic, Alexander Shevchenko, Ben Shelton and Alexei Popyrin to reach the quarterfinals for the third year in a row. The American will battle it out against Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the semifinals.
While Rennae Stubbs recently expressed her belief that American players had "paid the price" for skipping the Olympics at the Cincinnati Open, Pam Shriver shared a contradictory opinion on the latest episode of the 'The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.'
Shriver expressed confidence in Frances Tiafoe's ability to triumph at the US Open, especially now that he has avenged his "painful loss" to Ben Shelton from last year's quarterfinals.
"I think he does [have it in him to win the tournament]. Plays Dimitrov next, plays the winner of Fritz/Zverev. I think Tiafoe has learned so much from the semifinal run of two years ago when he became even more of a star. I think he probably knows that sometimes he needs to say no and keep into his lane, stay within the hula hoop a little bit more," Shriver said.
"We know guys mature a little bit later but I do think that Ben Shelton match was huge because, lost in the quarters last year to Shelton. That was a very painful loss. That was when Shelton did the ‘hang up the phone’ thing. No, he wasn’t [the same player after that loss]," she added.
Shriver also emphasized that Tiafoe's decision to forgo the Paris Olympics was instrumental in giving him a good chance of winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the New York Major.
"But Cincinnati was huge. I think the decision for Frances not to play the Olympics, obviously Washington DC, which is where he grew up, was an important tour stop. Frances getting on the hard courts, getting his teeth sunk into this segment of the circuit is why he has a chance to win this US Open. From 2-1 down against Shelton, we’ve seen the best of Frances," she said.
"I made the right decision" - Frances Tiafoe stands by his decision to skip Paris Olympics amid US Open campaign
During his pre-tournament press conference at the 2024 US Open, Frances Tiafoe admitted to feeling some regret at missing the Paris Olympics, especially the opening ceremony.
"The boat day killed me (smiling), minus the rain. I wouldn't have had so much fun in the rain. Seeing everybody, all of Team USA, everybody there, friends with a lot of guys there from different sports and stuff like that. That's the time to connect with a whole bunch of athletes," Frances Tiafoe said.
Nevertheless, the American remained confident that he had made the right decision, as his strong performances during the North American hardcourt swing allowed him to regain his form for his home Slam.
"At that time I didn't know I was going to make the final in Cincinnati. I'll take that every day, and getting my career back to where I need to be and winning a bunch of matches and stuff like that. I think I made the right decision in the end," the American added.
It is worth mentioning that Taylor Fritz has also reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, even after clinching the men's doubles bronze medal at the Paris Olympics alongside Tommy Paul.
If Frances Tiafoe triumphs over Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals, he could set up a blockbuster all-American semifinal showdown with Fritz, provided the World No. 12 beats Alexander Zverev.