"Made the right decision" - Frances Tiafoe stands firm on choosing to skip Paris Olympics despite 'FOMO' of missing Opening Ceremony fun with Team USA
Frances Tiafoe recently shared his thoughts on withdrawing from the 2024 Paris Olympics. He mentioned how he regretted missing out on being part of Team USA, especially during the fun and excitement of the Opening Ceremony.
Tiafoe, along with Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda, and Madison Keys, were notable absentees from the American squad at the Paris Olympics. Tiafoe decided to skip the Games to focus on his well-being and save his energy for the US Open, which is about to take place from August 26 to September 8.
"It's insignificant to what I'm trying to do going through to the US Open. I love my country, but I think I gotta think about myself," the World No. 20 said of his withdrawal.
After withdrawing from the Olympics, Frances Tiafoe achieved a runner-up finish at the recently concluded Cincinnati Masters, where he lost to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final.
Now preparing for the US Open, Tiafoe attended a pre-tournament press conference where he confessed to having some "FOMO" on the day of the Opening Ceremony, especially seeing Team USA enjoying the boat ride. However, he stood firm in his decision to skip the event.
"The boat day killed me (smiling), minus the rain. I wouldn't have had so much fun in the rain," he said. "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."
"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.
Frances Tiafoe: "I am excited for Los Angeles Olympics 2028"
Frances Tiafoe talked about watching the 2024 Paris Olympics from home and shared that he was cheering for everyone on Team USA, whether in basketball, tennis, track and field, or other events.
"I was cheering on everyone," he said during the aforementioned press conference. "I mean, Jill, my agent, pretty much does everybody on the Olympic team, U.S. Olympic team, so it was pretty fun to follow. Obviously Team USA, both men and women, basketball, winning, like, watching the American tennis guys. Just following the whole thing. It's pretty cool."
The 26-year-old also expressed how "epic and cool" the Olympic Games are, adding that he’s already looking forward to the next edition, which will be held on his home soil in Los Angeles in 2028.
"Olympics is pretty epic, you know. Olympics is something really cool, and I'm excited for LA," he said.
Tiafoe will kick off his US Open campaign on Monday, August 26, against compatriot Aleksandar Kovacevic.