"He's super chill like me" - Frances Tiafoe sheds light on new partnership with ex-Venus Williams & Jessica Pegula coach David Witt at Atlanta Open
Frances Tiafoe made a solid start in his campaign at the 2024 Atlanta Open. This is the first tournament for the American since he began working with famed coach, David Witt.
Frances Tiafoe is seeded third at the 2024 Atlanta Open and began his campaign against former World No. 14 Aslan Karatsev in the second round on July 25. The American broke his Russian opponent in the fifth game and held his own to take the first set. Karatsev returned the favor in the second set, in which a solitary break of Tiafoe's was enough to restore parity.
In the deciding set, Tiafoe made fewer unforced errors and broke Karatsev in the fourth game to wrap up a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win in just over two hours. After the match, the American spoke about the new partnership with well-known coach David Witt and the reasons behind his choice.
During his on-court interview, Frances Tiafoe revealed that he had been working with Witt for nearly ten days, and praised his previous work with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and former World No. 3, Jessica Pegula. Tiafoe expressed his wish for a fresh start after an underwhelming 2024 season and found Witt a perfect fit for his team.
“It’s been good. It’s been about a week and a half. He’s super chill, just like me, and he’s obviously done a great job with Venus and he did a great job Pegula. It’s good to have him on the team, we’ve been friends for a long time. I just wanted a fresh start with someone, and I thought he was the perfect guy,” Tiafoe said.
Frances Tiafoe to face Yoshihito Nishioka in Atlanta Open QF
Frances Tiafoe is the last American standing at the 2024 Atlanta Open and will face Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the quarterfinal of the ATP 250 tournament. This will be the fourth ATP Tour meeting between the two men. Tiafoe has won all three contests against Nishioka, bettering the Japanese at the Estoril Open in 2019, Canada Open in 2021, and the Acapulco Open in 2023.
Nishioka progressed to the quarterfinal in Atlanta after wins against seventh-seed Brandon Nakashima and Mackenzie McDonald. Meanwhile, Tiafoe received a first-round bye and bettered Aslan Karatsev in his second-round contest. The winner of this quarterfinal will face either Arthur Rinderknech or qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the semifinals.
For Frances Tiafoe, the Atlanta Open is the first stop on his 2024 North American swing, where he is hoping to make a mark after a sub-par 15-15 win-loss record this year so far. The World No. 29 has skipped the 2024 Paris Olympics to focus on the hard-court tournament in North America ahead of the US Open.