(VIDEO) Tiafoe’s coaching shake-up leaves Venus Williams stunned at Charlotte presser

Frances Tiafoe addressed the changes in his coaching staff after firing his trainers following an adverse season that saw him drop outside the ATP Top 25 ranking. The American responded during the press conference before the Charlotte Invitational and elicited a spontaneous reaction from Venus Williams upon hearing his answer.

The former World No. 10 did not have a great 2025 season, finishing with a 26-23 record and no titles, closing the year at World No. 30 and as American No. 5. The American's best result of the season was reaching the final of the ATP 250 Houston Open, though he failed to reach the semifinals in any other tournament.

In Grand Slams, his best performance was at the French Open, reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in his career. However, he exited early in the rest of the Majors—including a third-round exit at the US Open—marking the first time since 2019 that the American failed to advance at least to the Round of 16.

The American ended his season in the Asian swing, taking consecutive opening-round defeats against Márton Fucsovics and Yannick Hanfmann. "Big Foe" decided to dismiss his coaches David Witt and Jordi Arconada a week after being eliminated in Shanghai—his last tournament—and has yet to officially announce a replacement.

The American enjoyed a minor redemption from his difficult season at the recent Charlotte Invitational exhibition, where he defeated compatriot World No. 6 Taylor Fritz in the third-set super tie-break, claiming the exhibition title. The event also featured 7-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, with the latter winning her match in straight sets.

Tiafoe responded to media questions during the usual pre-exhibition press conference. The 28-year-old player was seated next to the legendary Venus Williams while answering journalists' questions, one of the topics being the dismissal of his coaches.

The journalist asked about the dismissal of a 'couple of guys' from his team—referring to Witt and Arconada—and Tiafoe gave an ironic response. "I mean, I got rid of more than just two guys, but I definitely wanted a fresh start,” he said, eliciting an amusing reaction from Venus Williams, who opened her eyes wide in surprise but offered no comment. “You know, I've been doing the same thing for a very long time. [I'll be] 28 at the top of the year, I wanted to do something. I want to see... just get a little bit uncomfortable and then see what happens.”

“And why not? I don't think there's any bad thing that can come out of that, but as far as it was going forward, I guess you gotta wait to see who I decide to bring with me on this crazy journey that we call life."

Tiafoe emerged victorious in Charlotte but still has another exhibition commitment this Sunday, December 7th, in New Jersey. Big Foe will face none other than World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz at the 'A Racket at The Rock' event, where he will have the opportunity to challenge the 6-time Major champion.

The head-to-head record between the two is currently 2-1 in favor of the 22-year-old Spaniard. Their first encounter on the clay courts of the Barcelona Open 2021 went to Tiafoe, while Alcaraz exacted revenge in the 2022 US Open semifinals and the 2024 Wimbledon third round—winning the title on both occasions.