His 2022 US Open dream may have been ended by Carlos Alcaraz on Friday night, but Frances Tiafoe believes his run to the semi-finals in New York could be the start of something bigger.
“I just proved that, honestly, I can play with the best obviously, and I’m capable of winning Grand Slams,” said Tiafoe after falling to the Spaniard in an epic five-setter at Flushing Meadows. “I think everyone knew when I play my best what I could do. But you know how close I can actually be to be one of those guys and to do this consistently.
“Obviously through my career I’ve been pretty sporadic of playing well, veering off for a while. I’ve always backed myself against the best players in the world. I’m doing it on a consistent basis, starting to beat guys more readily. [I’m] ready to take the next step.”
Tiafoe’s whirlwind fortnight in New York saw him become the only man to defeat Rafael Nadal at a major in 2022 witha fourth-round victory, before he reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final with a sublime straight-sets win against ninth seed Andrey Rublev.
“I haven’t even let it soak in yet, honestly,” said the American. “But craziest two weeks of my life. Craziest two weeks of my life. Stuff you dream about doing.
“[I] fell a little short. But, I mean, getting to the fourth round three years in a row, that’s already a good accomplishment. Beating Rafa, being the only player to beat Rafa in a Slam this year, the year he’s had. Him being in the race to be No. 1 in the world, shut that down.
“Just saying you beat him in a Grand Slam… It’s not an easy task. To have my first time beat him here in New York in front of everybody and seeing what that meant, that was crazy.”
Tiafoe believes a new approach to training and match preparation has been a key driver of his successes in New York.
“I’m definitely falling in love with the process and doing the work much more,” said Tiafoe, who is set to break the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday. “I’m working smarter, I’m understanding. I’ve always tried hard, but [I’m making] my weaknesses stronger, breaking down my game a lot more, and I am a student of the game again.
“I always knew to put two weeks together is obviously the toughest thing in the world. That’s why only three guys were doing…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Tennis – ATP World Tour…