"We played when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal were elite & Novak Djokovic" - Frances Tiafoe on setting a 'precedent' for rise of American men's tennis
Frances Tiafoe has shared his thoughts on the rise of American men's tennis in the recent past. Tiafoe suggested he and his contemporary compatriots looked up to the Big 3 — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — in the initial years of their careers, adding that they've set a precedent for the coming generation of American players after having shared the court with the legendary trio.
Tiafoe, the World No. 16, is among the five US tennis players, including Taylor Fritz (7), Tommy Paul (13), Sebastian Korda (15), and Ben Shelton (17), inside the ATP Top 20.
Fritz most recently became the first American man to play a Grand Slam final after Andy Roddick's run to the 2009 Wimbledon final. Fritz, however, ended second best to Jannik Sinner at the 2024 US Open, where Tiafoe played till the semifinals.
Tiafoe and Fritz are in Berlin for the Laver Cup, representing Team World alongside Ben Shelton and others under the leadership of fellow American John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe. On Day 2 of the proceedings in Berlin, Tiafoe defeated Team Europe's Daniil Medvedev and Fritz overcame the Russian's teammate Alexander Zverev.
Following his win, the World No. 16 addressed a press conference, reflecting on the progress the men from the US have made on the tour.
"There is a core of us, and Reilly [Opelka] is coming back," Frances Tiafoe said. "Me, Reilly, Tommy, Fritz, I mean, we have been going at it, since, I mean, 11, 12, doing little camps and kind of always pushing each other, always good blood. We were really, really close."
Notably, Tiafoe, Fritz, and Paul took up tennis professionally in the same year, 2015, and took inspiration from and played alongside the likes of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
"Everybody has a different path, but for those core guys, I think we set a precedent that it is possible, because we kind of still played when Roger and Rafa were still elite, and Novak. Well, Novak is going to be elite until he's 70, but I think that was the biggest reason," Frances Tiafoe added.
Frances Tiafoe: "We always want each other to do well"
In the same presser at the 2024 Laver Cup, Frances Tiafoe talked about moving up the ranks whilst maintaining healthy competition with his compatriots.
"We always want each other to do well," the 26-year-old added. "We just kind of kept going from the [Under] 12s to junior slams, to futures, challengers, and you see your guy that you rub elbows with, you're like, well, if he's doing it, then why not?" Tiafoe said.
"Then it kind of just we found ourselves playing semis at majors. Then we were doing it at a pretty young age, guys were breaking through in that era at a pretty young age, and that just creates a domino effect," he added.
Frances Tiafoe then acknowledged the ascent of Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda, saying:
"Then you've got Ben who comes through, Korda who comes through, some vet guys that kind of surprise you that kind of come through in that time as well."
Shelton turned pro in 2022 and has already cracked the Top 20, registering runs to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the US Open in 2023. Korda made his ATP debut in 2018 and has earned his spurs by reaching a career-high rank of World No. 15 last month.