It's About Time We Talk About Frances Tiafoe...

Frances Tiafoe just lost to Ben Shelton in the  final in Houston; It’s his second consecutive   loss to Shelton and I feel this is probably  a good time to talk about Tiafoe’s tennis.  Although he made that remarkable semifinal run at  the 2022 US Open, broke into the Top 10 and has   won titles on all surfaces, times have changed. The buzz seems to have died down and our   man Tiafoe now appears to be searching. And he got me wondering. What do tennis fans   really think about Tiafoe at the moment? Does he truly have the talent to take   American male tennis to the next level? How would you rate Tiafoe compared to the others   among the current crop of American players? Also, did he make a terrible   coaching decision last year? And what are some areas of his   game that need to be brought into focus? Faced with many of these questions,   I did my homework and let’s just say I  was a little surprised with what I found…  As usual, we are going to touch on every aspect  of Tiafoe’s game; the good and the bad and then   dabble a bit into some of the narratives fans  have about him. But before that, let me quickly   bring you up to speed with Tiafoe’s trajectory  so far because it’s been one hell of a ride.  ======================================================================== One of the reasons why we   love Tiafoe, has to do with his inspirational  backstory. The son of immigrants from Sierra   Leone who escaped the country due to civil  war, Tiafoe grew up in suburban Washington,   D.C. His father worked as a janitor at the  Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park,   Maryland and Frances and his twin brother,  Franklin, would often sleep in the storage   room with one small window in the tennis center  while their mother worked night shifts as a nurse.  It was only natural to see Tiafoe love the sport  as a kid. Tiafoe picked up the discarded rackets   and just about anything he saw and he practiced  by hitting the ball against a wall. Tiafoe didn’t   get to play tennis with the right equipment until  he was 12 years old when he bagged a sponsorship   deal. How did his junior career pan out? Tiafoe’s junior career was extremely successful   and he reached the #2 spot in the junior ranking.  At 15, Tiafoe became the youngest player to win   the Orange Bowl in 2013 and by 2015, he  capped off his junior career by winning   the USTA Junior National Championship at the  age of 17. Super impressive for a player who   didn’t even get to train with the right equipment. After turning pro in 2015, Tiafoe quickly broke   into the Top 200 before the end of the year.  He would then win a couple of challenger titles   and break into the Top 100 the following  year. Come 2018, Tiafoe had won his first   ATP title in Delray Beach Open, entering the  tournament as a wildcard. It was a big deal   at the time because Tiafoe beat the then world  #10 Juan Martin Del Potro en route to the title.  With his title win, Tiafoe became the youngest  American to win an ATP title since Andy Roddick   won the US Clay Court Championships in 2002.  Coupled with many other impressive performances,   Tiafoe had now broken into the Top 50. Tiafoe made  the quarterfinal of the Australian Open in 2019   but for the next three seasons, he would struggle  to make deep runs in big tournaments. However,   2022 was the year everything changed. 2022  After a solid first half of the season,  Tiafoe announced himself on the big stage   with a sensational US Open semifinal run  that saw him defeat Nadal in the 4th round   and Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal. Tiafoe’s  semi final appearance meant that he became the   first American to reach the semis of the US Open  since Andy Roddick in 2006. He would then lose   a gripping 5-setter to eventual champion Carlos  Alcaraz. Frances also reached the final of the ATP   500 in Japan and the 250 tournament in Estoril,  all of which propelled him to a Top 20 presence.  2023 Following a 35-25   record in 2022, Tiafoe had the most successful  season of his career. He won the United Cup,   reached the semis at Indian Wells, also won the  U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston,   before winning the Stuttgart Open, after saving  a match point against Jan-Lennard Struff.  2023 was a great year for Tiafoe because he broke  a 5-year title drought and had now won a title   on all surfaces - Hard courts, clay, and grass.  These results got him into the Top 10 and he also   had the highest win percentage of his career that  season. It looked like the upward trajectory would   continue... But it hasn’t quite happened. 2024  It’s now 2024 and with the exception of Stefanos  Tsitsipas and Tommy Paul, Tiafoe has been losing   to opponents ranked wayyyyyy lower than him;  players he should have been smacking without   any much trouble: Shang in Hong Kong  Tomas Machac at the Australian Open Marcus Giron in Dallas  Dominik Koepfer in Acapulco Christopher O'Connell in Miami  The puzzling thing is that almost all these  losses have been in straight sets. And if we   follow the post US Open stretch of  2023, it has been a similar story.  A straight sets loss to alexander Bublik in Paris Straight sets loss to Aslan Karatsev in Japan  An early round loss to Lorenzo Sonego in Shanghai Since reaching the U.S. Open quarters and losing   to Ben Shelton in what was a winnable match,  Tiafoe has been on a downward trend and it   looks like that loss took all the air out of  his balloon. Why is that? A lazy take is that   everyone around him just got better but a better  way to go about it would be to take a holistic   look at Tiafoe’s game. Tiafoe’s Game  Forehand One aspect of   Tiafoe’s game that has been long been talked  about is his unconventional, hitchy forehand   technique. Unlike many other players on tour where  the racket typically faces up on the take back,   Tiafoe has no transition from an outward facing  racket to a flat position. He just starts out flat   with his arm higher than the racket and stays  flat until he flips going forward. The unusual   arm motion brings with it a heavy topspin that  averages twice as much rpm as his backhand. It’s   such an unorthodox swing. The kind of forehand  that your tennis coach wouldn’t recommend.  When asked how he arrived at that forehand on  a tennis podcast, here’s what Tiafoe said. When   looking at his forehand potency per match from the  number of matches charted according to data from   Tennis Abstract, Tiafoe’s forehand effectiveness  doesn't come close to that of any Top 10 player.   Well, except for Hubert Hurkacz. I bet you already  knew that. And with muscle memory kicking hard,   the 26-year-old Tiafoe might find it a little bit  difficult to change his technique. But for what   it’s worth, Tiafoe’s forehand, as unconventional  as it looks, has been effective against players.   But let’s get to other aspects of his game. Backhand  Tiafoe’s flat lower backhand often creates  a problem for opponents because of its stark   contrast to his forehand. His ability to take  the ball early coupled with his contrasting   groundstrokes creates a unique challenge for Big  Foe’s opponents a lot of times. His backhand down   the line is especially great. And how about  this backhand winner against Novak Djokovic?   Tiafoe is also able to slice when needed. While his backhand is nowhere close to the   Sinner-Medvedev-Djokovic level or even as good  as Taylor Fritz's, I'll pick it over Shelton’s   backhand. Although Tiafoe’s game isn’t exactly  suited for clay because of his flat backhand,   I don’t agree with anyone who says Big Foe’s  backhand is a weakness because if it is, what   would you say about Felix Auger Aliassime, Cameron  Norrie, or Stefanos Tsitsipas? A liability?   Probably. That being said, it would be nice to see  more point construction from Tiafoe’s backhand and   his return game could be a lot better as well. Serve  Tiafoe’s speed and accuracy is better and higher  than your average when it comes to spot serving   which is confirmed from tennis insights data.  He is right there with the Big Boys when it   comes to first serves but Tiafoe’s second  serves could use a facelift as he is wayyyyy   below the metrics of other Top players as we  can see from his percentage of second serves   won in the last 52 weeks here. Generally speaking,  Tiafoe’s big first serve is a weapon and the rest   of his game is built around it. Variety  When it comes to other elements of  his game - The volleys, net game,   drop shots Tiafoe doesn’t necessarily stand out.  Can he hit those shots? Yes, he can. However,   Tiafoe doesn’t fall into the category where  we might call him a “crafty” player. His game   just holds up here for the most part and he  still remains an offensive baseliner. So,   for sure, there is a lot of room for improvement  in this area especially in his net play. However,   his athleticism and movement make him an exciting  player to watch. He is quick around the court and   is capable of shifting play styles with  different angles to make rallies shorter.  Intensity Tiafoe alchemizes energy into his tennis.   When all is going to plan, we see a focused  Tiafoe locked-in and with the crowd engaged,   he brings out his best tennis. However, when the  going gets tough and he isn’t quite getting that   energy he needs, Tiafoe may sometimes come  across as somewhat uninspired. Not because   he actually is, but it has more to do with the  fact that he sometimes has difficulty finding   that extra gear to induce a momentum change in  a match. Tiafoe’s lack of intensity in the big   moments and his limited ability to find his best  tennis when he needs it the most goes hand-in-hand   with this next point. Mental Toughness  Due to his recent slump, questions have been  asked about Tiafoe’s mental toughness and I   find it quite interesting. Tiafoe sits  pretty at the bottom alongside Casper   Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas when it comes  to upsets scored in the last 52 weeks.  For context, we are talking about beating a player  that is ranked higher than you and Tiafoe hasn’t   been able to do that even once in the last 52  weeks. Meanwhile, the American has lost to players   lower than him 12 times in the last 52 weeks. If we are to take into consideration a sort   of Mental Toughness Rating where we compare  how players perform in pressure situations,   deciding sets, and tiebreaks, how would  you grade Tiafoe on between A to F?  It’s one thing to not be able to beat players  that are better than you but it’s quite another   thing to be losing to players you should be  smacking. Personally, I don’t think Tiafoe   is weak when it comes to mental toughness but he  doesn’t exactly stand out either judging SOLELY   on results and performances in the last year. It’s also quite funny because Tiafoe’s match   win percentage in 2023 was almost 70%; the highest  of his career and a Top 10 presence in that stat.   Tiafoe won more matches in 2023 than in any other  year of his career but it didn’t quite feel that   way for some fans. Why is that? I’ll tell you.  After beating Rafael Nadal and reaching the semis   of the 2022 US Open and breaking into the Top  10 midway through 2023, fans were hoping that   Tiafoe’s stocks will continue to rise but having  slipped down the rankings, question marks are   being asked about his mental toughness. But let’s now narrow down on some of   the interesting narratives that  fans have about Frances Tiafoe. Motivation Narrative: Tiafoe seems   just content with his tennis, the fame, and the  money at the moment and isn’t motivated to push   any harder to be the best version of himself. Response: When I usually see takes like this,   I wonder if some people really know what  it means to compete at the highest level   in tennis. It’s a difficult sport and  for Big Foe, probably the hardest.  Verdict: Disagree. It’ll take some convincing  for me to believe that Tiafoe isn’t motivated.   However, I do agree that the optics do not look  great at the moment and it’s pretty obvious that   he has been searching for that winning spark but  not winning doesn’t mean you are not motivated.  Tiafoe’s personality may seem laid back. We know  he loves to prank people and may come across as   a goofball but I don’t think we should come to a  conclusion that he isn’t motivated just because of   that. I doubt anyone was talking about motivation  two years ago or in the first half of last year.  Potential Narrative: Slowly, but   surely Tiafoe is getting back to where he truly  belongs which is Top 30. He was lucky to make   the Top 10 with only 3 singles titles and is  not as talented as Tommy Paul and the other   Americans. He is just another overachiever. Response: I’ll admit it doesn’t help that all   of Tiafoe’s ATP singles titles have been 250s.  But we should know that a year of consistency,   a deep slam run, and winning titles  got him into the Top 10. Not pure luck.  Verdict: Tough one to call out. Tiafoe’s ceiling  is definitely higher than just Top 30. He’s way   better than that. He finished both 2022 and 2023  inside the Top 20, so the Top 30 argument doesn’t   hold water. That being said, it doesn’t help  to see that Big Foe has a poor record against   Top 10 players. 1-3 against Jannik Sinner, 1-7  against Alexander Zverev, 0-5 against Medvedev,   0-2 against Novak, and 1-1 against Alcaraz.  A combined 3-18 against Top 5 players. None   of those 3 wins have been recent. Tiafoe fares  slightly better against the other top players.  But even among the current crop of top  American players, Tiafoe hasn’t exactly   performed. He has lost his last two meetings  against Seb Korda, lost to a much younger Ben   Shelton at the US Open quarterfinal last year in  what was surely a reality check for him, Tiafoe is   1-6 against Taylor Fritz, and is 1-3 against  Tommy Paul. So yeah, Big Foe is not Top 10   potential at the moment but that could very well  change once he discovers that winning spark.  Has he already peaked? I can’t say. Either way,  he’s going to have a solid career and a shot   at the big titles down the line. When it comes  to talent, are Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton more   talented than Tiafoe? I’ll leave that up to you  guys because the truth is that many tennis fans   have vague definitions of talent. You shouldn’t  just say one player is more talented than the   other without actually saying how. Terrible Coaching Decision  Narrative: Tiafoe hit a ceiling  with Wayne Ferreira. He made a   good decision by parting ways with him. Response: The South African coach who is   a former world #6 player helped Tiafoe with his  overall game and brought a lot to the table during   their three years of working together and I don’t  disagree with anyone who felt that something was   still missing in his game and he was already in  a slump towards the end of 2023. Tiafoe reunited   with former USTA coach Diego Moyano ahead of this  season but his fortunes haven't turned around. But   I wouldn’t panic just yet. It’s still early days. Verdict: Slightly agree. I do understand that some   decisions don’t make sense at first glance  but we all know that coaching relationships   often have a timeline to them. Once it runs its  natural course, there’s no point continuing to   work with each other. Besides, we really can’t  say exactly what goes on behind the scenes,   so with limited information to work with, we could  best believe that Tiafoe did what he thought would   be the best for him and there should be no shame  in that even if it didn’t seem like the best way   to go about it. Nothing changes the fact that  Wayne Ferreira did an excellent job with him.  Focus Narrative: Tiafoe let   fame get to his head. His career has been  downhill since he embraced the spotlight.  Verdict: Slightly disagree. I do understand where  this is coming from though and I’ll even go as far   as saying that it sometimes looks like he has  lost some focus, just by judging from the eye   test. Seeing Tiafoe always laughing and joking  around even on the court has been a source of   frustration for fans who want to see him win more. Response: But without trying to sound nice,   I think we should give players credit for what  they have achieved first before the critique.   Tiafoe especially, seeing the conditions in which  he started playing tennis. It is worth noting   that American players on the ATP tour deal with  enormous pressure to perform as fans are literally   looking for a slam winner in every player, since  2003 when Andy Roddick won it last. And when these   players do not perform, we are often quick to  point out a number of factors. For instance,   Tiafoe loves the NBA. It’s probably another  hobby of his, so what is really wrong if   he spends some free time playing basketball? Tiafoe loves to make bold fashion statements   also Even among other Nike-sponsored players  wearing the same pattern on their outfits,   Tiafoe’s matching set cabana-style always stands  out. He does love the spotlight, the high-profile   sporting events, and all the good stuff but it  shouldn’t be a crime. We’ve seen players like   Garbine Muguruza whom we made a video about as  well as other players walk away from the sport   just because their priorities changed. The harsh  reality is that for all the money that they make,   life as a tennis pro is difficult, we also made a  video about that by the way. Personally, I believe   a player’s needs come before our needs as fans,  so there isn’t much we can do in this regard. At the moment, you wouldn’t be wrong if you said  Tiafoe has gotten passed by the younger generation   but the good thing is that he can always turn  his fortunes around. Tiafoe might not have the   biggest weapons in any category but with the  right guidance, he can maximize his talent.  Always an entertaining player to watch, I find  Tiafoe easy to root for. I don’t know about you.  And while the likes of Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune,  Medvedev, and a few others make winning the   biggest titles extremely difficult for anyone,  not just Tiafoe, it’s probably a good time to   buy the dip. For those who bought the Tiafoe  hype and feel like they’ve been let down,   I’d say hold on just a little bit more  because his best days are still ahead.  If you loved this video, please hit that  SUBSCRIBE button and let us know if you   want us to do deep dives on any other player  of your choice or any other topics you want   us to cover. And if you missed out on last week’s  videos, I have them showing on the screen for you.