Frances Tiafoe has continued his transformation into one of the game’s most dangerous and legitimate contenders for big titles with his weekend heroics at the Laver Cup.
Dominated by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first set and later staring down four match points, Tiafoe rebounded with a thrilling 1-6 7-6(11) [10-8] triumph.
“I thought it was just time. It was time to get it done. I see Stef across the court, and I'm like, I'm licking my lips playing that guy, I wanna win,” Tiafoe said.
The ramifications were huge, perhaps none bigger than the result securing Team World its first Laver Cup trophy in five attempts, dating back to the competition’s 2017 debut.
Tiafoe’s teammates were left awestruck at his ability to rise to the occasion, with Alex de Minaur describing him as “Prime-Time Foe”.
“He loves the spotlight. He did incredible out there. Played a hell of a match,” De Minaur said. “Honestly, it was the most entertaining points I've ever seen in my life.”
Added Tiafoe’s fellow American Taylor Fritz: "It's been a long time since Frances has been playing the big guys close, and losing a lot of close battles. It's great to see lately he's just been winning them. It's about time he steps up and the matches go the other way, and today was a joke – he was down multiple match points and he stepped up and he did it for the team.
“Not just here, at the US Open as well, he was pulling out those tight matches, winning those big ones. And it's just great to see.”
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Another ramification of Tiafoe’s defeat of Tsitsipas? It was yet more confirmation of his ever-ascending status in the game.
Earlier this month he produced an eye-catching run to his first Grand Slam semifinal, upsetting 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal in the last 16 and pushing eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to five sets.
An extraordinary statistic to emerge from his run in New York was his flawless 8-0 record in tiebreaks, which he improved to 10-0 after beating Tsitsipas.
He has actually won 12 in a row, beginning with his 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5) triumph over former world No.6 Matteo Berrettini in his first match at the Cincinnati Masters.
"Looks like I've got that clutch gene right now,” Tiafoe said.
“I'm playing the last couple of tournaments in packed stadiums, and just competing really hard and just enjoying it, getting the crowd on my side and just having fun with it. I feel like a kid out here, just competing and playing the game I love.
"When I'm playing my best tennis, my team always used to tell me: try to have as much fun as I can. When it becomes a circus out here, and I'm just using the crowd, and acting like a little kid and having a bunch of reactions to average points, I end up paying really well, and I start building momentum off of it.
“So I'm able to play and function in that better than my opponents, it seems. Hopefully I can keep it going.”
Notable wins over players like Tsitsipas and Berrettini are becoming more common for the 24-year-old, who prior to Wimbledon 2021 was 3-23 versus top-10 opponents.
But beginning with that tournament, which he began with a straight-sets demolition of then-fourth ranked Tsitsipas, he is now 6-6 against the top 10.
He has now reached the second week three years in a row at Flushing Meadows and came within a whisker of the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July.
Now in the top 20, Tiafoe believes he can do even greater things in the sport.
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And following his heroics for Team World in London, his captain, John McEnroe, believes those bigger achievements are within reach.
"Listen, I got news for you – these guys are going to step up big time in the future,” McEnroe, a seven-time major winner, said.
“It's gonna be incredible the next five years, not just for Team World, but for these individuals as well.
“Just proud that I was part of that. It's absolutely awesome.”