"Good war" - Frances Tiafoe says he has 'nothing but love' for Gael Monfils after dismissing him at Erste Bank Open in Vienna
Frances Tiafoe recently expressed his admiration for Gael Monfils despite defeating him in the second round of the 2023 Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
Tiafoe arrived in Vienna amidst a five-match losing streak, which included disappointing performances at the Shanghai Masters and the Japan Open. However, the former World No. 10 had his lucky stars with him, when his first-round opponent, Daniel Evans, was forced to retire mid-match due to an injury, which in turn propelled him into the second round.
On Thursday, October 26, Tiafoe defeated Monfils 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 to move into the next round, where he will face second seed Jannik Sinner. The Frenchman won the first set before being completely blown away by the American, who came back strongly and won the next two sets to secure a well-deserved victory.
Tennis TV took to social media to share some highlights from the thrilling match.
Frances Tiafoe recently shared Tennis TV's post on his social media, expressing his admiration for a remarkable match and his deep respect for Gael Monfils.
"Good war bro nothin but love ✊🏿 @iamgaelmonfils," Tiafoe captioned his Instagram story.
Both Gael Monfils and Tiafoe have played a pivotal role in promoting tennis within the black community. In June of this year, Tiafoe achieved the No. 10 world ranking, which was a little over 14 years since an African American man held a position in the ATP top 10. The last time this milestone was reached was in 2009 when James Blake occupied the No. 10 spot in the rankings.
A look into Frances Tiafoe's Grand Slam campaigns in 2023
Frances Tiafoe kicked off his 2023 season at the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. He made an impressive start by defeating Daniel Altmaier and Shang Juncheng in the first two rounds. However, his journey came to an end in the third round when he faced Karen Khachanov, who defeated him with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6.
Tiafoe had a similar outcome at the French Open, defeating Filip Krajinovic and Aslan Karatsev in the initial rounds, paving the way for an intense third-round encounter with Alexander Zverev. There, the German beat him in a four-set battle 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 7-6(5).
Tiafoe then departed early from the Wimbledon Championships. He was eliminated in the third round by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who ended his campaign with a straight-set victory 2-6, 3-6, 2-6.
However, the American improved his game at his home slam, the US Open, with high hopes of replicating his brilliant performance from 2022, during which he reached the semifinals and even managed to defeat 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, along the way.
Despite being unable to replicate last year's performance, Frances Tiafoe managed to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows this year. In an all-American clash, Tiafoe faced defeat at the hands of his compatriot, Ben Shelton, in four sets 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2.