"You did not let anybody down" - Michelle Obama to Frances Tiafoe after meeting the US Open semifinalist at Flushing Meadows
Frances Tiafoe may have lost the US Open semifinals against Carlos Alcaraz, but the American won himself fans the world over with his superlative display at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama was in the stands to watch Tiafoe go down fighting 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3, and met the 24-year-old after the match.
Frances Tiafoe meeting Michelle Obama after the semifinal 🤩 #usopen
via/kj.security IG https://t.co/dEKbckdGwq
The two had a brief conversation, with Michelle Obama lauding the losing semifinalist while adding that he "didn't let anybody down" in response to what Tiafoe had stated during his on-court interview.
"We were watching, we were proud of you. We were both very proud of you. You did not let anybody down tonight. Don't even let that spirit come over you. You were amazing. You have been amazing and made us all so proud. I hope you had fun out there," said Michelle Obama.
Tiafoe replied in the affirmative, saying that he did have a lot of fun but was "tired right now" before the former first lady expressed her understanding of his fatigue levels given the duration of the contest.
"I can only imagine, four hours," she said.
"Unbelievable atmosphere it was, fun to be a part of," stated Tiafoe with a shake of the head.
Before Mrs. Obama took her leave, she told Tiafoe that it was a pleasure to meet him.
"I am not going to keep you, I wanted to make sure to be able to meet you in person, you've got to meet your family," said Michelle Obama
"It's an honor," stressed Tiafoe before Mrs. Obama responded saying, "The honour is all mine, so just keep it up. We'll be back, we'll find you somewhere."
The uplifting conversation ended with Frances Tiafoe and Michelle Obama posing for a photograph.
Frances Tiafoe breaks new ground at US Open
Frances Tiafoe created history by becoming the first Black man to reach a US Open semifinal since Arthur Ashe in 1972. He also became the first American man to make the US Open semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2006.
man to reach a #USOpen semifinal since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Frances Tiafoe becomes the first Black 🇺🇸 man to reach a #USOpen semifinal since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
He did it on the court named after Ashe. #BeOpen https://t.co/IEJtqCe2vo
A fairytale run at the US Open by a player whose father was once a laborer at the construction site of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland has been making headlines the world over.
Tiafoe accounted for 14th seed Diego Schwartzman, second seed Rafael Nadal, and ninth seed Andrey Rublev before falling to Carlos Alcaraz in an epic five-setter.
Tiafoe, whose family immigrated from Sierra Leone before he was born in Hyattsville, Maryland, had earlier reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open.