Frances Tiafoe Is An American To Root For

sureshs said:
He beat DP. Shows that the older generation was the weak era.
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Another USTA success story, like Opelka:

Tiafoe moved to the USTA National Training Center in Boca Raton, Florida to train with more experienced coaches

Opelka didn't start playing tennis regularly until he started training through USTA in Boca Raton at 13 years old.


So much for those constantly bashing USTA and claiming that "family tennis" is the way to go. No wonder their kids have no results.
 
I watched FT live in Shanghai, was sitting very close since it was on the outer stadium. Below are some photos I took, for those who are interested.
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...e-ugliest-strokes.597182/page-2#post-11689033

I liked his overall demeanour and the way he turned the match around; he looked completely out of it in the beginning vs the experienced Mayer but managed to win which is always impressive coming from a young player. Also, his FH when observed live doesn't looked that bad; lots of 'funny' strokes on tour that do the job.

What I didn't see was the 'wow' factor that you kind of expect from a future star and that is clearly visible in the likes of Shapo, Money, Young Z etc. You know, like a blistering forehand, a booming serve or something out of the ordinary. Sure, it was only one match. But, at his age it is time he develops the one (or two!) weapons that he'll need if he wants to be at or near the top. The serve is a good place to start, he generates a good amount of speed from a very compact motion but with a frame like his he should be able to turn it into a bigger weapon.
 
NLBwell said:
Pretty good grit from Tiafoe. Making me a fan.
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Me too. Cool kid, great story, very likable.
I am a fan...Even though his game is not like the typical players i enjoy (RF, Stan, shapo, thiem, DelPo, kohli, jo, richie, baghdatis, guga, rafter, pete, goran).

Of all the Americans, i like Chris Eubanks and Frances TFO over isner, querrey, smiley opelka, jackieSockie, little stevie, jared, taylor harry fritz, kudls, et al. I am sure i am missing someone. But...
Go TFO!
 
He also played well against Chung and Delpo.

Extremely clutch serving. Overall solid backhand, forehand, return.

Problem is what was mentioned above - he just doesn't have anything that looks like a crazy powerful weapon, and you need something truly outstanding to win the big tournaments. That said, consistency and fitness counts for a lot in the modern ATP, so if he's fit and takes the strokes he has and can grind, he can certainly be top 20 and get some upsets and win some 250s.
 
yeah, listen, the forehand's a little funky but apart from federer there aren't a lot of guys who make you pay for taking an extra split second to set up, so, we'll see...he's very strong and very fast, it's a good base to build his game up from for sure. his backhand isn't much of a weapon though, that's something to work on. overall, happy for the guy.
 
Max G. said:
He also played well against Chung and Delpo.

Extremely clutch serving. Overall solid backhand, forehand, return.

Problem is what was mentioned above - he just doesn't have anything that looks like a crazy powerful weapon, and you need something truly outstanding to win the big tournaments. That said, consistency and fitness counts for a lot in the modern ATP, so if he's fit and takes the strokes he has and can grind, he can certainly be top 20 and get some upsets and win some 250s.
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True. But if he can learn to transition well, use his speed offensively (like Jo Tsonga);
and hit halfvolleys and volleys with the physicality and the feel of sampras, this kid has a future.
If not, yeah, top 25 and occasional medalist in the grindlympics of tennis.
 
Kalin said:
Wow, FT doing some damage these days! Did anyone watch the actual matches??
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Been keeping a good eye on Frances since watching him against Anderson in Washington. A great player to follow. A very smart player and perhaps an Einstein among the 25 and under group. He's clawed his way back in a lot of matches. Perhaps he's just on a roll and will cool, but impressed with all aspects of the game. Braking Shapo 3 straight times is impressive. So much clutch serving its amazing. A lot of his success was in the wind which kept his opponents from attacking him, but Frances could still be aggressive enough with his heavy spin. Seems likely this is a bit of a fluke result due to the weather, making it more a view of what Tiafo might do in a year or so. Will be fun to keep an eye on him until we know if the future is now.;)
 
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