ATP Tour

Not quite an elder statesman, but Tiafoe says: 'That's a lot of US Opens'

No player embodies the euphoria-inducing energy of the US Open better than Frances Tiafoe, and the 27-year-old American couldn’t hide his enthusiasm on Friday as he spoke to the media ahead of his 11th career main draw appearance in the Big Apple.

“Excited to be out here,” he said, leaning into the mic with a smile. “Number 11... That’s a lot of US Opens.”

D.C. native Tiafoe is quick to profess his love for the American Slam. Others may pledge allegiance to the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon, the terre battue of Paris or the irrepressible joy of the Australian Open, but the US Open is most definitely Tiafoe’s jazz.

“Best couple of weeks of our game, for sure, without a question,” he said on Friday. “Just really happy to get out here and compete at the highest level and start my quest.”

Tiafoe, who made his Flushing Meadows main-draw debut in 2015, may be in the midst of a funk, but he hasn’t let that dampen his spirits. He has not won a title or even claimed a Top 10 victory this season, but overweight those disappointing statistics at your peril: the Frances Tiafoe that shows up in New York each year is a decidedly different animal.

Tiafoe, who lost to Taylor Fritz in a heartbreaking five-set semifinal at the Open last year, experiences a boost in confidence every time he sets foot in the five boroughs.

“If I'm 100 percent, how I feel out here competing, I'm gonna be good, exactly where I want to be,” he said. “I've had so many good memories in this place. It's like second nature.”

Judging from the infectious enthusiasm, one would think that Tiafoe had come straight from a seminar on the power of positive thinking. In truth it’s just how Big Foe rolls in Flushing Meadows, where he has reached the second week in each of his last five appearances, and semifinals in two of the last three.

Read full story at usopen.org.