What was going on in the van back to Manhattan after Frances Tiafoe stunned Rafael Nadal at last year’s US Open?
The American revealed all in a reunion for Season 1, Part 2 of Netflix’s Break Point. Tiafoe joined countryman Taylor Fritz and WTA star Aryna Sabalenka in studio.
“After a win like that you can play anything. I’m losing my mind,” Tiafoe said. “I can go crazy to Nickleback, it doesn’t really matter. But what was playing, I was so amped up.”
One of the interesting features of Tiafoe’s episode, which covered his run to the semi-finals last year in New York, was his relationship with coach Wayne Ferreira. The South African, a former top player himself, was shown to never get too high or too low, but even he enjoyed his charge’s victory according to Tiafoe.
“He was into it. He was going nuts! He was drinking, he was doing the whole thing,” Tiafoe said. “By the time I got to the car, he was already loaded. I’ve never seen him smile so much, so that was pretty cool.”
The players watched clips from the season during their reunion and Tiafoe was reflective in looking back at the biggest moment of his career thus far.
“Reliving those moments, when you’re in it, it’s definitely a bit different,” Tiafoe said. “But watching them back and seeing it in such high def was just crazy. All the hype around it and just seeing all your dreams come true, it was wild to watch.”
Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
As special a moment the 2022 US Open was for Tiafoe, it was the opposite for Fritz. The No. 1 American was upset in the first round last year by countryman Brandon Holt. Break Point showed the excruciating moments following that defeat.
“It’s tough but I guess it makes me even more excited to go back to the US Open this year and more motivated,” Fritz said. “There’s a lot more fire. But obviously when they were following me after the match and filming after the match when I was in the car I was like ‘This is tough. This is tough.’ But I also understood this is what you want to see, how I guess a loss like that actually impacts you when you put such high expectations on something.”
Zooming into the reunion were Ajla Tomljanovic, who defeated Serena Williams last year in New York, and her inimitable father, Ratio Tomljanovic.
“Ajla was complaining that I was a little bit off and I said ‘No, sorry that’s me. Sorry, I cannot pretend,’” Tomljanovic said. “Even now she told me I have to behave and I don’t know why.”
Want to know what Ajla thinks about her win over Serena 12 months on? Watch the full reunion video.