Tiafoe is not good.

[robyrolfo]

I think some people see Tiafoe celebrating after a big point, sometimes with little hand gestures and the like, and it rubs them the wrong way. And I can almost see why, but once you listen to him speak in an interview, and watch him over an entire match, you have to realize that he really is a good guy, and as humble as a top level tennis player can or needs to be. I think anyone that is critical of him should watch his mixed doubles match during the United Cup. He was having fun with it, but he was also respectful to his opponents, and he was also constantly aware of the feelings and attitude of his partner (I think it was Pegula), who has a much more serious demeanor.

Some of the point celebrations seem to be borrowed from other sports, like soccer/football or basketball, but I don't mind as it seems to be his way of dealing with the stress and the grind of playing on the tour day in and day out. I mean, look at how guys like Shapavolov or Rune, or even Murray, deal with that stress, and I'll take Tiafoe's "antics" every time. I'd rather see a guy happy and having fun (which helps him play entertaining tennis), than someone screaming at their player box as if it was their coach that came out onto court to miss that last backhand for them.

 

[Pmasterfunk]

Anyone forgot that Tiafoe turned away with an attitude after hiting a stretch volley that he thought won the point, only to find out Medvedev got it back to win the point at the CitiOpen?

Tiafoe should hangout more with Ja Morant and wave guns on tiktok or IG at a strip club at 2am in the morning. That way, he will get more fans to cheer for him.

That's incredibly tasteless

 

[mikej]

Guess we really only did need that one guess

 

[James P]

Tiafoe has improved tremendously since the creation of this thread. I definitely agreed at its inception, but he's changed my mind with his play on the court.

 

[randomtoss]

Can’t agree more; as a fedr fan myself, I wanted him to exit on a winning note but I didn’t want it accomplished with any match fixing connotations. Sockafoe were on that court to win a valuable point and they did just that by reading their opponents for their vulnerabilities. One of them was rusty reflexes.

Hubs still holds a grudge against them for this I personally have forgiven them but not for a very honorable reason: I like Sockafoe because they seem to be nice guys - just not very smart.

 

[stringertom]

I don’t know which Tiafoe thread (good/not good) thread to stay active in until he tries to break his 0-4 h2h vs Med. The good news: all matches are from 2 years ago or earlier; the bad news: he won just one set.

 

[mikej]

I don’t know which Tiafoe thread (good/not good) thread to stay active in until he tries to break his 0-4 h2h vs Med. The good news: all matches are from 2 years ago or earlier; the bad news: he won just one set.

I mean, highly unlikely he beats Med, no one has pulled that off in 3.5 tournaments, and frankly even Djokovic was solidly outclassed recently

Don’t think anyone is expecting him to, except hopefully Tiafoe and his inner circle

 

[robyrolfo]

I mean, highly unlikely he beats Med, no one has pulled that off in 3.5 tournaments, and frankly even Djokovic was solidly outclassed recently

Don’t think anyone is expecting him to, except hopefully Tiafoe and his inner circle

I think he's going to do it. Partly because Med seems primed to finally lose a match (he doesn't love the conditions and has had some shaky performances), and partly because Tiafoe can play excellent tennis when he is clicking (he looked great at some point in that AO match against Djokovic a few years ago, and has only improved since then). Plus, I think 3 sets helps him stay focused throughout.

 

[mikej]

I think he's going to do it. Partly because Med seems primed to finally lose a match (he doesn't love the conditions and has had some shaky performances), and partly because Tiafoe can play excellent tennis when he is clicking (he looked great at some point in that AO match against Djokovic a few years ago, and has only improved since then). Plus, I think 3 sets helps him stay focused throughout.

Alright, bold prediction noted, I think he goes down 3,4ish

 

[robyrolfo]

Alright, bold prediction noted, I think he goes down 3,4ish

Well, I'm not putting my money where my mouth is (even though betting is legal now in NY), so it's not exactly gutsy. But I really do believe he can take it.

 

[Benf15harp3000]

I’m praying to the tennis gods that little foe gets a double bagel tomorrow

 

[jmnk]

Definitely not good. I mean he only got 11 games against currently unbeatable Medvedev. Very weak. Should quit tennis.

/end sarcasm

 

[stringertom]

Definitely not good. I mean he only got 11 games against currently unbeatable Medvedev. Very weak. Should quit tennis.

/end sarcasm

10 of those 11 games surrendered were due to IW not fixing the court surface mid-tournament.

 

[mikej]

Definitely not good. I mean he only got 11 games against currently unbeatable Medvedev. Very weak. Should quit tennis.

/end sarcasm

Made him earn it, fought back from 3-5 in second to get to a TB, made Med use 8 match points

He should feel good after that match, no one he should walk on a hard court expecting not to be able to compete with

Now Miami then a couple months of seeing if he can step up his clay court results which have typically been much been weaker

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

Neither is Sinner. Neither are the rest. Medvedev seems to be the only good one

 

[Rattie]

He’s definitely a better player than he was and top 20 material but I don’t see him climbing much higher. Very popular in here as he’s American I suspect. Not a fan myself, I find his clowning irritating and I was disappointed in his attitude at Laver Cup although I’m not minded to go into detail as to why lol.

 

[Winners or Errors]

Humble? LOL! He is as far from humble, he is spoiled.

LOL, what do you have against Tiafoe? He's not abusive, he seems to genuinely enjoy playing tennis, he's no longer just happy to be out there and is starting to win more matches. Also, he's the child of immigrants who got his start in tennis because dad was the custodian at a tennis center. Hardly spoiled brat material...

 

[Rina]

LOL, what do you have against Tiafoe? He's not abusive, he seems to genuinely enjoy playing tennis, he's no longer just happy to be out there and is starting to win more matches. Also, he's the child of immigrants who got his start in tennis because dad was the custodian at a tennis center. Hardly spoiled brat material...

I have nothing against him, but I know he is a spoiled brat. (I can say that and hope that he will outgrow this phase of self-importance that he has assigned to himself.) The previous post calling him modest etc., is not valid. At all.
Sometimes you buy into the narrative that the media sends, and yes, the facts are that he is an immigrant himself, and all that, however, spoiled rotten is also true. And not nice, too big for his britches, is the saying, and it is the truth.

 

[Winners or Errors]

I have nothing against him, but I know he is a spoiled brat. (I can say that and hope that he will outgrow this phase of self-importance that he has assigned to himself.) The previous post calling him modest etc., is not valid. At all.
Sometimes you buy into the narrative that the media sends, and yes, the facts are that he is an immigrant himself, and all that, however, spoiled rotten is also true. And not nice, too big for his britches, is the saying, and it is the truth.

Based on what?

 

[Rina]

Based on what?

Not posting that, will I? He has a lot of maturing to do, still. Let's hope he grows out of it and starts understanding humility. I am hoping he will.
I will say that he has never, ever played the race card.

 

[Smecz]

Frences Tiafoe is very good player,
I think it lacks more sharpness and clarity of strokes.

His style is very unique (and that's a plus), but I find it difficult to play.

His forehand gives him the ability to disguise his intention, but it also takes time and doesn't make it easy to play high balls.

Pulling the racket head down and then swinging it will work for top spin play, but playing flat balls or playing finishing strokes on a small penalty is a tough subject.

It's similar to Kyrgios and Sock in terms of play style, and these modern forehands don't make it easy to hit.

To hit such a forehand you have to be a very good amateur or professional, modern forehand is difficult to operate.

However, he misses the service the most, moreover, half of the next gen leaves the service in the cloakroom or in the hotel heh.


And I don't know if it's the fault of the poor concealment of the intention, the power of the rockets, or the slower and slower surfaces.

It seems to me that now it is better to play a sharp spin top or a polished serve like Alcaraz or Medvedev that does more damage than a fast flat one.

Back to Tiafoe, he is a player with a lot of potential, but today's tennis is increasingly difficult for a player who immediately pulls his head down! (Position immediately closed)

 

[robyrolfo]

Not a fan myself, I find his clowning irritating and I was disappointed in his attitude at Laver Cup although I’m not minded to go into detail as to why lol.

Assuming you are a Raffa fan (based on your pic), you are "irritated" by someone having some fun with the crowd, but not with the guy who puts his hands up into his backside in between every point, and takes so long to serve that the umpires have to give him special treatment now with the serve clock? Really?

 

[Rattie]

Assuming you are a Raffa fan (based on your pic), you are "irritated" by someone having some fun with the crowd, but not with the guy who puts his hands up into his backside in between every point, and takes so long to serve that the umpires have to give him special treatment now with the serve clock? Really?

Yes really. I don’t like Tiafoe, the reasons for which are nothing to do with players I do like.

 

[robyrolfo]

Yes really. I don’t like Tiafoe, the reasons for which are nothing to do with players I do like.

Fair enough. I'm just saying that it's curious to me what you find "irritating." I would also be interested to hear what you think of Alcaraz's "clowning"?

 

[Rattie]

Fair enough. I'm just saying that it's curious to me what you find "irritating." I would also be interested to hear what you think of Alcaraz's "clowning"?

I’m not aware of Alcaraz clowning?
Tiafoe irritates me. He just does. Maybe it’s cultural, what passes as funny in the US I often find juvenile and annoying. He strikes me as very up himself. Don’t like him. Never mind.

 

[robyrolfo]

I’m not aware of Alcaraz clowning?
Tiafoe irritates me. He just does. Maybe it’s cultural, what passes as funny in the US I often find juvenile and annoying. He strikes me as very up himself. Don’t like him. Never mind.

What? Cultural? Alcaraz does almost the exact same thing as Tiafoe after a very big point win. He holds his hand/finger up in the air with a gesture, and he tilts his head back and sticks his jaw out (Mussolini style) as if to say, "I'm the man." The both like to pump up the crowd frequently with big arm gestures. The only main difference I see is that Tiafoe smiles more often in the process.

 

[Smecz]

I’m not aware of Alcaraz clowning?
Tiafoe irritates me. He just does. Maybe it’s cultural, what passes as funny in the US I often find juvenile and annoying. He strikes me as very up himself. Don’t like him. Never mind.

And I just like Tiafoe, he's a bit of a clown, but he's serious about tennis.
And for example, such a Bublik, he is clowns and he disregards tennis completely.
And so, for example, Medvedev likes medium, but he approaches the competition seriously!.

 

[Deleted member 791948]

I've never seen a more cringe-worthy human being than Tiafoe.
As corny as it gets.

 

[Smecz]

I've never seen a more cringe-worthy human being than Tiafoe.
As corny as it gets.

Why do you think so?

 

[robyrolfo]

How is he "corny"? Where are you from?

 

[Rattie]

What? Cultural? Alcaraz does almost the exact same thing as Tiafoe after a very big point win. He holds his hand/finger up in the air with a gesture, and he tilts his head back and sticks his jaw out (Mussolini style) as if to say, "I'm the man." The both like to pump up the crowd frequently with big arm gestures. The only main difference I see is that Tiafoe smiles more often in the process.

That’s not clowning. That’s completely different. Like I say, culturally I don't get brash Americans. They irritate me. Carlos doesn’t. Whether you get it or not.

 

[Rattie]

And I just like Tiafoe, he's a bit of a clown, but he's serious about tennis.
And for example, such a Bublik, he is clowns and he disregards tennis completely.
And so, for example, Medvedev likes medium, but he approaches the competition seriously!.

Fine. We are all different.

 

[robyrolfo]

That’s not clowning. That’s completely different. Like I say, culturally I don't get brash Americans. They irritate me. Carlos doesn’t. Whether you get it or not.

What do you mean it's not clowning? It's the same thing, just without a smile (which makes it more arrogant and brash, to use your term). There is nothing here for me to "get," other than some ridiculous double standard you have for some reason. And you seem to know and/or understand very little about Tiafoe. Check out those videos someone posted on a previous page. Read a little about his upbringing.

Carlos irritates me with his variable yelling volume, the same annoying thing that Serena used to do.

 

[Rattie]

What do you mean it's not clowning? It's the same thing, just without a smile (which makes it more arrogant and brash, to use your term). There is nothing here for me to "get," other than some ridiculous double standard you have for some reason. And you seem to know and/or understand very little about Tiafoe. Check out those videos someone posted on a previous page. Read a little about his upbringing.

Carlos irritates me with his variable yelling volume, the same annoying thing that Serena used to do.

You are talking about behaviour on court that I’m not. I know about his upbringing. If I don’t like him, that is my right.

 

[robyrolfo]

You are talking about behaviour on court that I’m not. I know about his upbringing. If I don’t like him, that is my right.

What are you talking about, then? And may I ask where you are from? You keep mentioning Americans in the third person, and you seem to have a particular view of things.

 

[Rattie]

What are you talking about, then? And may I ask where you are from? You keep mentioning Americans in the third person, and you seem to have a particular view of things.

I’m saying I don’t like him. I don’t have to like him!

 

[Moose Malloy]

That's incredibly tasteless

Thanks for quoting that, his post was deleted but it's good to see posters like that expose their true colors. I see others in this thread just using coded phrases, but we all know what their real problem is.

 

[robyrolfo]

I’m saying I don’t like him. I don’t have to like him!

You don't want to say where you are from, or where you live?

 

[Rattie]

You don't want to say where you are from, or where you live?

I’m British.

 

[robyrolfo]

Thanks for quoting that, his post was deleted but it's good to see posters like that expose their true colors. I see others in this thread just using coded phrases, but we all know what their real problem is.

I'm the last person to go down that road and bring that issue into the discussion, but I agree that some of these comments are really hard to explain in any other way.

I’m British.

Ok, so not a homogenous society (although I don't know specifically where you are from). Tiafoe's behavior shouldn't seem all that strange or different to you, unless perhaps you only watch tennis and no other sports.

 

[Rattie]

I'm the last person to go down that road and bring that issue into the discussion, but I agree that some of these comments are really hard to explain in any other way.


Ok, so not a homogenous society (although I don't know specifically where you are from). Tiafoe's behavior shouldn't seem all that strange or different to you, unless perhaps you only watch tennis and no other sports.

I’m not really sure why you need to labour the point. I don’t like him. There are players you don’t like. You seem to want me to have to justify my opinion as if it’s impossible to understand.

 

[robyrolfo]

I’m not really sure why you need to labour the point. I don’t like him. There are players you don’t like. You seem to want me to have to justify my opinion as if it’s impossible to understand.

There are players that I don't like, yes, but I have reasons for it. Reasons that have some logic behind them. Not some inexplicable "feeling," and not because of some non-exclusive behavior that only bothers me in one player and not another.

 

[_phantom]

Tiafoe wants more crowd involvement. He wants to bring basketball culture to tennis.

"I think fans should be able to come and go and move around and speak during matches," he says. "Imagine going to a basketball game and not saying anything." He concedes certain events should retain some of the tradition, such as Wimbledon, but "outside that, let's start to change things to bring younger fans to the game."

I guess he meant during points.

March 22, 2023

Frances Tiafoe Aims To Entertain, Bringing Basketball Culture To Tennis

The happy resonates with fans, with Tiafoe's game and his ability to land new sponsorship deals.

www.forbes.com

Sounds like a Kyrgios-esque idea.

 

[Rattie]

There are players that I don't like, yes, but I have reasons for it. Reasons that have some logic behind them. Not some inexplicable "feeling," and not because of some non-exclusive behavior that only bothers me in one player and not another.

As do I whether you choose to agree with me or not.

 

[Winners or Errors]

Nobody has to like Tiafoe or any other player. But some people on this thread used some pretty common racist troupes and that's a problem.

Well, I for one still want to talk about his tennis. His backhand has really improved. He still needs to work on his volleys, but I see him as a hard-worker, so perhaps even at this age he can make progress. The other parts of his game are pretty solid. Had he volleyed better, he'd have beaten Med, and I think he matches up better with Carlitos. Interesting to see if he can climb higher or just end up stuck around the top 20 or 30.

I saw the bit about his forehand earlier in the thread, but I don't remember seeing him spray errors off that wing, so I don't know how much it has to do with his success.

 

[tennisfan2166]

Well, I for one still want to talk about his tennis. His backhand has really improved. He still needs to work on his volleys, but I see him as a hard-worker, so perhaps even at this age he can make progress. The other parts of his game are pretty solid. Had he volleyed better, he'd have beaten Med, and I think he matches up better with Carlitos. Interesting to see if he can climb higher or just end up stuck around the top 20 or 30.

I saw the bit about his forehand earlier in the thread, but I don't remember seeing him spray errors off that wing, so I don't know how much it has to do with his success.

He's made good progress with Ferreira. Second serve still an issue. His attitude has also improved and he's a lot more focused and calm than 1-2 years ago. He comes across as a good guy and it's easy to root for him.

 

[robyrolfo]

Tiafoe wants more crowd involvement. He wants to bring basketball culture to tennis.

I would just say that it isn't strictly basketball culture, but a wider sports culture including football/soccer, and American football.

Well, I for one still want to talk about his tennis. His backhand has really improved. He still needs to work on his volleys, but I see him as a hard-worker, so perhaps even at this age he can make progress. The other parts of his game are pretty solid. Had he volleyed better, he'd have beaten Med, and I think he matches up better with Carlitos. Interesting to see if he can climb higher or just end up stuck around the top 20 or 30.

His volleying isn't perfect, but I think it's actually pretty good compared to many on the tour (since most players seem very reluctant to come to the net). He started doing well in the second set against Medvedev when he started to serve and volley more consistently. I'd also like to see him play Alcaraz, since I think Alcaraz's more varied style of play would bring out the best in Tiafoe.

He's made good progress with Ferreira. Second serve still an issue. His attitude has also improved and he's a lot more focused and calm than 1-2 years ago. He comes across as a good guy and it's easy to root for him.

He does seem like a good guy, but even if you don't see that for some reason (see above), at the very least his tennis is fun and exciting to watch. I'm always looking to tune into his matches, whereas a guy like Zverev, for example, is like watching paint dry.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Tiafoe into his 6th career final today in Houston(1-4 record in finals)

 

[tennisfan2166]

I just watched the semi and Frances was all business and dispatched opponent quickly. Hope he gets it done later.

 

[norcal]

That was a fun match to watch, very entertaining stuff. Good play by both guys. I was shocked this was only Frances' 2nd title.