“You have to tip your hat”: Frances Tiafoe praises Taylor Fritz, opens up on heartbreaking US Open loss

Frances Tiafoe recalled his tough loss to Taylor Fritz in the US Open semifinals. The former world No. 10 came close to his first Grand Slam final but ended up losing to his compatriot, who became the first American male in the title match at Flushing Meadows since Andy Roddick in 2006.

The 26-year-old American has delivered his best Grand Slam performances at the US Open, with a record of 22 wins and 10 losses. He has reached the tournament's second week for five consecutive seasons, made two semifinal appearances (2022 and 2024), and reached the quarterfinals in 2023.

Tiafoe aims for fresh start in Brisbane

Tiafoe is in Brisbane this week for his first match of the year. The American is the fourth seed and will debut against local wildcard Adam Walton (No. 93) in a star-studded draw, including Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, and Sebastian Korda.

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Upon arriving in Australia, the world No. 18 recalled the tough defeat to Fritz, where he was up two sets to one but ultimately saw his compatriot make a comeback, sealing the victory 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. "That's not easy, yeah. That wasn't easy,” Tiafoe said in a press conference. “I really thought I could have been in the final there. Thought it was pretty one-sided until that point."

"Again, you have to tip your hat, man. Taylor battled and he deserved to win,” Big-Foe added. “The guy who wins the match at the end of the day deserves to win. Happy it was an American at the end of the day. It was great to see him play a final. That's only going to light the fire under me to keep going, keep working.”

"Guys, we look at the tour totally different. The game is open. Even though Sinner has had an incredible season, Alcaraz, incredible, Novak. I still think the game is open. There's no clear winner for any event. It obviously showed."

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Tiafoe is set to debut against a less experienced opponent like Walton, which will be a good opportunity to leave behind his shaky end to 2024, where he recorded just three wins in his last eight matches. "I actually don't know him that much. He did a great job coming out of college, Tennessee. Getting top hundred pretty fast. I don't know if he's still in or just outside right now.”

“I really haven't seen him play much. Watch YouTube videos, stuff about him in the next day or so. I'm excited to get out there and play a good match, hopefully come out with a win, start the quest."

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