Frances Tiafoe Press Conference | 2024 US Open Quarterfinal

if you would your thoughts on the win yeah um I mean definitely abrupt ending um but I thought I I thought the level was really high there for two and a half sets three sets whatever the case may be um really really high I thought I put I thought my game plan was perfect um let him in there and in a second a little bit but um I thought I just kept going I thought I applied per really well I thought I thought I played well the only thing sure again man just wasn't wasn't where I wanted to be uh really really really packed you gave him a lot of second Ser looks but um was got to do better on that front but everything else have returned great and moved really well tonight and I made every you know I made him earn a lot of points which which is great to ultimately man can be two I mean got I don't really have that much to say so so we're happy to be in another semi thank you one question each Jake Francis uh congrats on the win um I know you were asked the other night about um playing against Roger earlier in your career but having him in the stance tonight um what does that mean to you and how much does that sort of uh inspire you on the court yeah I mean I mean that was pretty sick obviously I mean to I wasn't thinking about it that much like more like more pumped like Kevin Hart did and Roger like honestly but uh um and I and you know you last couple years of Labor cup like you kind of get used to that like like seeing him like in understand so um but yeah like when they show him you're like man this dude was different man W here five five years in a row like the guy was you know and the you know the way he L he looked in the suite is same way he looked when he was playing no no sweat in you know you know te's like iron like perfect like it's just like what's up with this dude man so hair perfect so it it was just it funny man I give a crap about that whole time but what a guy man what a legend so nice that he's just enjoying his life doing his things like just popping in wherever he kind of wants to and everyone Embraces him unbelievable wherever he goes I mean he's such an icon so ultim ultim was pretty dope but uh seeing Kevin Hart was sick honestly Matt hey Francis wel done um this so this journey uh I mean you've been in here for a couple weeks and like you know saying you believed in yourself when did you really start to believe that this this thing was this it was possible to get where you are now and maybe go even further I mean since I landed in New York I mean I obviously I just came from fin Cincinnati so you know I'm coming here feeling pretty good um you know like it it always helps going into a place where you've had great success um but I I mean to be honest with you I wasn't really thinking you know make a Sammy make a like you know win the event I I saw I saw the draw and I was like man I got to put I got to put Ben you know I'm not I'm not that high seed like I was before you know so I don't know where I'm going to sit at and I'm like you know playing band it's not some someone you're going to look past are you and then once I kind of got through that you know you the draw shakes up and then you're kind of like well why not um so but I been super day by day and and now you know my feet are in the sent me so it is what it is in the back congrats Francis so it's yet another us hardcore swing where you're having really good results here at the open is there something you've learned at this point about this time of the year that you want to kind of bottle up and use for the rest of your season or that's your mindset probably keep it for August uh no man it's it's too hard to replicate man like it's too hard to replicate like I'll never be excited to play in the states than I would play than I would be to play like in m that's just not happening like the only place outside of the states where I feel really really good to plays in wiland Queens um you know on the grass where it's like really fun to play and you know they really embrace me a lot out there it's just just too hard man I mean you see when you're out here playing it's madness out here it's like what's going on bro it's crazy it's too hard to replicate and you get so excited watch it as a kid um but you know I'm just really focused man I'm locked in um but I'm having fun um not putting so much pressure on myself I'm kind of just going in and battling and I've been producing some really nice stuff but yeah you know it's almost like a joke that Francis wakes up in August so well we'll see we'll see how my career goes going forward with that Chris Francis congrats Chris Auto with us hoping I know it's going to be a war on Friday with you and Taylor um but and I know you're focused individually on what you want to get out of this tournament but I wonder if there's any satisfaction the fact that we've got the first American male Grand Slam finalist since 2009 and here since 2006 that you your group has collectively produced that yeah me Taylor Tommy Riley um you know we've spoken about it for years this is the group um this is the group and you know we we openly speak about it I think uh you know we all been knocking on the door you know Taylor's I mean been in and out top 10 um you know top 15 you know myself was top 10 this time last year you Tommy's knocking on the door quarter's playing great Ben Ben so like it's only a matter of time you put yourself in positions like it's only a matter of time um and the game is open not like it's not like once was where you know you make a quarterfinal you play Rafa and it's like you're looking at flights now it's like I mean I mean now I mean I mean that's just the reality now it's just totally different like um you know and no one's unbeatable um especially later in the season where you know guys guys are maybe a little bit cooked you know just you know maybe just not as fresh and you know they're they're vulnerable so yeah it's it's pretty exciting um first first potential time well first time since 09 and yeah hopefully it's me Francis uh do you remember the first time you met Taylor or first time you played him uh and and yeah do you remember also the first time you guys might have whether it was the two of you or this the rest of this group some of whom you just mention that you guys might have joked about or seriously talked about doing this getting to these stages of these tournaments together maybe even not I mean it's not like it's not a little like sit down like intervention kind of thing it's just like more like I mean is I meant even like as kids when you first started knowing each other yeah I mean definitely not as kids cuz you just I mean you you don't know what making is like when you're like 12 13 when I first met him I mean Taylor was I mean he was an odd cat he was a different cat like I mean he u i I mean I definitely wasn't thinking he was going to do what he's he's done he's changed his body like unbelievable um you know like he was like a he's just really talented like he was like a part-time player he played like a couple times a week at a Court's house he wasn't like a I mean he'll tell you like he wasn't he went to normal high school like he was just normal kid um while we're you know out there grinding then then he started putting more time into it um but yeah man he was he was funny man when we were younger but um I think as as we got closer to it like you know seeing how committed he is and how um much he wanted it once we all kind of turned Pro like we all just like ped each other to kind of want to be great um you know sometimes unspoken sometimes you speak about it but um you know nobody wants to leave each other you know behind and it's it's it's been a special thing to be a part of a Francis you've got a one and six record against Taylor but I'm guessing the way you're talking about it the way you're playing right now you've never played each other at the US Open you're assuming things might be completely different this time how do you approach a match like that like do you take any of those prior matches into it or is it just such a different situation it's different on ask man it's different um obviously um have to learn from those uh you know a couple of the I mean couple of those I thought I actually should have won but you know I mean he's tough man he's a tough player like he's he plays great from both sides got a great serve he's moving much better now but I mean it's going to be tough I mean it's going to be a big moment for both of us to play for a final I mean I I don't think those matches are anywhere near what this match would be so it's kind of tough to you know even go from there like playing cors of alapo 500 and playing semis is arth at night it's going to be well hopefully at night a little different it's a little different so uh you know I mean it's going to be interesting man I mean we'll see what happens all right have time for two more young lady right there Then Willie Lucy black me Global um you've been asked a lot and all the other American players about the rise of American players but how does it feel to have the r of also African-American players and other black players in from other countries and also does that motivate you or give you more pressure especially that you're one of the first to break through a lot of like the stuff for example the semifinals it's not your first time you've done it two years ago so yeah yeah it's great man it's great like you see like you know especially for me in my area I mean I see Haley here you know she should have qualified Robin um you know Montgomery you have this Italian American Girl Grant or something like that I seen it around Grant or it's yeah it's pretty cool you see Matt Forbes you know one kou he played he played in the main draw here he had a funny celebration I I saw on Instagram the young the Young Dudes are different nowadays but U but yeah man I mean I mean it's it's it's cool man it's cool and when those guys you know you know see me you know they see me as you know like a you know role model you know guy like you know want Inspire to be and that's a pretty cool seat to be in obviously um as you guys know I'm I'm not a guy that takes himself too serious by any means so it's funny um you know being in that seat but at the same time you know you got a responsibility to when you're out there um you know compete and enjoy and and cuz things you do you know those those kids are going to mimic and you know want to be want to be how you carry yourself how you Pro your game um you know how you compete what you do out there things you say in the interviews they're going to want to mimic that and you know and be like that so um it's it's it's it's great and then and then from a big picture standpoint you know I mean I got you know so many people that would never watch Tennis a day in their life coming coming to matches because you know I'm playing um you know you've seen so many cool people come out to watch um and just normal people that just never really watch Tennis and I or like fans of it because I playing it's mean means a lot and it's it's helping the game and I generally think when I'm playing well helps the sport for sure really final question you spoke a bit about the way Taylor was as a kid what what do you consider now to be the biggest differences between you as players and as personalities I mean as personalities you can't meet two different more like it's scream he's like a you know I mean he's a video game never leave the the room you know like get goofball and I'm like you know loud and obnoxious at times and um but he's also very funny like um he's got that like you know dry humor smart ass um but at the same time but but that's why we like each other because we're so different um and that's why we get along so well um and then as competitors we're very like hate to lose um you know and and we and we battle hard and um but I mean personalities were very different but it's it's it's funny it's funny to see our relationship of how how we've gotten you know older I we tell and I have had conversations about you know being one and two Americans for a very long time I remember we were sitting in the plane like some years ago and you know he was I mean he's he's pretty like to himself dude and he's like bro I think me and you you know are going to be one of two Americans and and leading leading the what come from him and I was like yo dang dude like 6:00 a.m. like I'm pretty tired but I was like yo let's do it like why not um so you know and he's kind of had that mindset and he he's pushed me a lot you know what I mean um even times I'm playing really bad or whatever the case may be or I'm like and he's you know he's doing or vice versa like he's I think we've kind of always really pushed each other and now I think it's it's great that we get to compete each against each other in such a big match and um you know I'm happy for him I know he's happy for me so let the best man win come Friday man it's going to be it's going to be epic so you know you know get popcorn do what you got to do it's going to be it's going to be a fun one come Friday okay thank you everyone thank you Francis