"It's nice to see he's sustaining this level" - Tennis journalist Kenny Ducey comments on Frances Tiafoe's newfound consistency
World No. 17 Frances Tiafoe has been on an upward trajectory ever since his dream run at the 2022 US Open semifinals, where he was beaten by the eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set epic.
Since then, he has reached the final in Tokyo, losing to Taylor Fritz, and led Team World to Laver Cup glory.
On the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Kenny Ducey discussed his rise in the sport this season and how he has sustained his level throughout.
"He's gonna be a slow starter every year, the weird thing is the Aussie Open quarter-final was his first breakout result because he never plays well the first few months and since mid-season, he's played on an unbelievable level, and we saw last year with his win over Rublev. So it's nice to see he's sustaining this level," said Ducey on Tiafoe's consistency.
Mitch Michals, the host of the podcast, agreed with Ducey and also pointed out that Tiafoe's ability to eek out matches when he is not playing his best tennis.
"I like his ability to win now that his A-game is not there, that had not happened in the past. So maybe that's a positive to take away or at least compete there," said Michals.
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@HubertHurkacz defeats Frances Tiafoe 7-6 3-6 6-3 to advance in Vienna!
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“My fitness is solid right now; I’ve slimmed out a lot" - Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe is displaying some of the best tennis of his career in 2022. During an interview with the Australian Open, he recognized that he is fitter than before and is a lot slimmer.
“My fitness is solid right now. I’ve slimmed out a lot. Really put the time in with that,” said the American.
Frances Tiafoe recalled his dream US Open run this season and mentioned that it was 'the craziest two weeks' of his life, which involved a win over Rafael Nadal in the fourth-round of the event.
“(It was) the craziest two weeks of my life. Stuff you dream about doing. Seeing people like screaming your name, just loving what you're doing. That's awesome. That's what it's all about.
He added:
"To see them experience me beat Rafa Nadal, they've seen me have big wins, but to beat those Mount Rushmore guys, for them, I can't imagine what was going through their heads … I mean, they're going to remember today for the rest of their lives,” said Tiafoe.
The American will hope to sustain this level of performance in the last remaining events of the season and start the 2023 season on the same note.