"Now I'm barely seeded losing to clowns": Frances Tiafoe admits he took game for granted with physical and mental struggles
ATP
Frances Tiafoe staged an epic comeback in a 6-7, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 win as he started unseeded and against a tricky opponent in Matteo Arnaldi at Wimbledon and he was brutally honest about his downturn both physically and mentally.
A former top 10 player and a former US Open semi-finalist, he has yet to reach top form since then. Out of 15 tournaments played since the start of 2024, he has only won two matches in two of them. He has gone to World Number 30 in six months.
Tiafoe also suffered an MCL sprain and was wearing a sleeve during the match to confound his issues. The rollercoaster has led to Tiafoe questioning his abilities as despite reaching the top, the stark reality of being at the start of the tournament and down to the bottom has hit Tiafoe hard.
“It’s brutal. Highs and lows. Think about where I’m at,” Tiafoe said after downing Matteo Arnaldi in an epic comeback. He faces off against Borna Coric next up.
“Literally this week last year I was 10 in the world and now I’m barely seeded here (at Wimbledon). Losing to clowns, I hate to say it but I’m just gonna be honest. I took the game for granted and got a little too comfortable. You stop having fun with it and you find yourself in a weird position. Then you kind of forget what you were doing to win?”
“You start doubting yourself and all these kinds of things,” he continued.
“But it’s the game. It’s like anything, nothing is peaches and cream all the time. It’s about how fast you can kind of get out of that. And there is always light at the end of the tunnel, whether you either try and find it with small wins or continue to feel sorry for yourself and continue to play victim, that’s where it just gets darker and darker and darker.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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