"Gonna hurt really bad" – Frances Tiafoe compares US Open SF loss to Taylor Fritz with Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open 2023 defeat to Novak Djokovic
Frances Tiafoe recently shared his thoughts on his loss to Taylor Fritz in their all-American semifinal at the 2024 US Open on September 6. He compared it to Carlos Alcaraz's defeat to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 French Open in the same round.
Despite a mid-season slump, Tiafoe found his form just in time, reaching the final of the Cincinnati Open before heading to New York. He kicked off his campaign at Flushing Meadows with a dominant win over Aleksandar Kovacevic before defeating Alexander Shevchenko, Ben Shelton, Alexei Popyrin, and Grigor Dimitrov to make it to the last four.
The American then locked horns with Fritz, who was also aiming for his first Grand Slam final. They had a hard-fought match, but the latter's powerful serve ultimately made the difference and he won with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
After his defeat, Frances Tiafoe attended a press conference and said it was "really tough" for him to handle. Despite that, he felt he was the "better" player, except for the cramps and nerves that affected him during the match.
"It's tough," he said. "It's really really tough. Really really tough. This one's gonna hurt really bad. I mean I thought I was the better player for sure tonight. But in the fourth [set], I had some in and out cramps. I felt like my body kinda just shut down on me. Probably had a lot to do with nerves."
The 26-year-old then drew a parallel between his loss and Carlos Alcaraz's defeat to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal at Roland-Garros in 2023. The Spaniard also struggled with severe cramping, which torpedoed his performance significantly.
"Kind of just went down, just kind of like a similar thing with [Carlos] Alcaraz and Novak [Djokovic] that year the French [Open 2023]. It kinda seems like the same thing. Couldn't really move," Frances Tiafoe said.
Frances Tiafoe: "When I played Carlos Alcaraz, I was hanging for life; Here, I was in a position to win"
During the same press conference, Frances Tiafoe reminisced about his five-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2022 US Open semifinal, where he struggled to stay in the match. He noted that, unlike that encounter, he was in a good position to win against Taylor Fritz this year.
"The closest I was obviously when I played Alcaraz, I was kind of hanging for dear life to go five [sets]. Here, I was really in a position to win it," Tiafoe said.
The American added that he felt his "nerves" were the main factor that let him down against Fritz:
"I have been feeling unbelievable physically, but also it would be testament to how many matches I have played in a short time and I haven't played that many matches all year like that. But ultimately, nerves got the better of me tonight."
The New York Major has been Tiafoe's most consistent Grand Slam so far, as he has reached at least the fourth round for three consecutive years (2022-2024).