"I haven’t been this down for a very, very long time": Frances Tiafoe unsure on next move after US Open disappointment

Frances Tiafoe admitted he was “extremely passive” and left searching for answers after a disappointing early exit at the 2025 US Open. Speaking after his defeat on Grandstand, the American reflected on his performance, the speed of the court, and his uncertainty about the rest of his season.

Tiafoe was dumped out by German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff on Friday night in what was a super quick exit for two of America's leading lights as Ben Shelton also exited stage left soon after. He spoke in his press conference as he came to terms with his latest US Open exit.

Asked to assess the match and his opponent, Tiafoe was full of praise but blunt about his own level. “Obviously he’s a hell of a player. He’s been highly ranked,” Tiafoe said. “He played well, he served pretty well. His percentage wasn’t so high, but he served well, especially early in the match, so it was kind of tough for me to get into my service games.

“I just thought Grandstand was super quick today, and having rallies was very tough. I was late on a lot of balls. The match was kind of always on his racket. I had a little window when he gave me some gifts, and I didn’t take it. I played extremely passive today, and I didn’t put any pressure on him at all.”

Pressed on whether he regretted not being more aggressive, Tiafoe pointed again to the conditions but admitted he had missed opportunities. “I think Ashe and Louis [Armstrong] played much better for me. It was very, very fast today. The last time I played there it wasn’t. But today, he was turning so big into me, first couple of shots, and it was very tough. I thought I still had some looks to be aggressive and take charge, and I just didn’t. It’s going to be hard to swallow how I played today and being out of the U.S. Open this early.”

The 26-year-old revealed he only managed one practice session on Grandstand during the week and admitted his opponent made him feel “very, very uncomfortable.”

The loss left Tiafoe downbeat about the rest of his year, despite Davis Cup, Laver Cup, and a swing of autumn tournaments still ahead. “I don’t know how the rest of my season’s going to go. I have no idea,” he admitted. “That’s a lot to take in — this is the reality right now. I see Davis Cup, Laver Cup, Tokyo, all those other tournaments, but I don’t know. I don’t know what I’ll do, how I’ll come up, how I’ll play, or how I’ll recover from this. I haven’t been this down for a very, very long time.”

Tiafoe confirmed he does still plan to represent Team USA in the Davis Cup and compete at Laver Cup. "No one’s 100% at this point. Obviously, I just had my thing, but I was fine. That was more precaution to not have that happen again. I had no issues today. I felt good. I don’t want to use that as an excuse.”

The press conference closed with news that Ben Shelton had been forced to retire from his own match with a shoulder injury, something Tiafoe said he was unaware of at the time.

“Yeah, I didn’t know that. Obviously, I had other things on my mind. I didn’t see any scores. I’ll definitely text him, see how he’s feeling,” Tiafoe said. “It always sucks to go out like that. I’ve had that feeling, especially in a Grand Slam, where you’re most likely going to win. Ultimately, I don’t really care about what just happened to me, to be honest.”