"Novak Djokovic is hungrier than ever...he wants there to be no conversation that he's not the best player of all time" - Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe recently said Novak Djokovic is hungrier than ever to prove that he is the best tennis player of all time. Tiafeo believes that Djokovic wants there to be no argument against him in the GOAT debate.
Tiafoe and Djokovic will both be in action at the US Open this fortnight. The former is gunning for his maiden Grand Slam title while the latter for a record-equaling 24th.
At his pre-tournament press conference, the American lavished praise on Djokovic, saying that he looks as fit as a 16-year-old despite being 36. Tiafoe added that it's up to the other players on tour to stop the World No. 2 instead of simply waiting for him to slow down by himself.
"We still got one of (the Big 3) that seems like, he's 36, seems like he's 16, how he's moving around and stuff," Frances Tiafoe said.
"We can keep waiting or just do the other things to try to beat him, right? He's hungrier than ever. He wants to pass his peers by a long shot. He wants there to be no conversation that he's not the best player in the world, right, of all time. He's hungrier than ever. You got to beat him," he added.
"I think sometimes people make the moment bigger than what it needs to be; at the end of the day it's a tennis match" - Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe also spoke about his own performance at the last Grand Slam, the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where he fell in the third round to Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets.
The World No. 10 admitted that he was slightly overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation and that he put too much pressure on himself.
In New York, though, Tiafoe hopes to see nothing of that sort. He asserted that he's going to have fun and face the result at the end of the day.
"I think sometimes people make the moment bigger than what it needs to be. At the end of the day, it's a tennis match," he said. "We played many of them. Just go out and do what you do: enjoy the game. You're going to hopefully get that shot many more times to be in that position."
"No need to be like: this is the time right now, or the world is going to end. I think that's kind of what happened there. Totally different approach. I'm just going to be me, have fun. Whatever the result is, it is. I can live with it at the end of the day, no matter what," Frances Tiafoe added.
The 25-year-old opens his campaign against fellow American Learner Tien at Flushing Meadows.