Frances Tiafoe has revealed at the DC Open just how far he's come in the sport as he says he used to play with holes in his shoes.
World No. 10 Tiafoe has had a strong season, winning his first ATP title outside of hard courts at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, before getting his first tournament victory on grass at the 2023 BOSS Open.
Tiafoe has now made a good start in the run-up to the US Open, having won his opening match against Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5). He will go on to face promising youngster Shang Juncheng in the next round.
Speaking in the press conference after the match, Tiafoe spoke of his amazement at how far he's come over the years:
"The atmosphere was great, people are going crazy here in DC and I had to get 55 tickets for friends and family. I've never sold out my first match, so I'm happy," he said, "I was just a kid who dreamed, I remember somehow sneaking in to watch the matches, I played with holes in my shoes and now I'm here to play this tournament."
This tournament was made even more special for the American by the fact that NBA legend Kevin Durant came to watch him.
The basketball star came onto the court to give Tiafoe a high-five and a hug following his win and praised the player during his on-court interview. When asked about Durant's kind words for him, the 25-year-old said:
"He is the best. His agent told me over the weekend that he would be here, so I heard him and told him I would like to see him in the stands in my match, Kevin told me he was going to give it a try and he finally did it. I was super excited, not only him but also other NBA players like Daniel Gafford and Caldwell Pope with the latter having just won the title with Denver.
"You see NBA stars coming here to look at me, this is crazy. These are things you wish would never end, it's one of those experiences that happens once in a lifetime."
Frances Tiafoe on beating Karatsev in Washington “It means the world to me. When I was 6 years old I used to sneak into this event. It was the 1st time I watched tennis live. Now I’m packing the stadium. It’s unbelievable. I love you guys. I love you guys so much. I love DC” ❤️
