Tennis - US Open 2024 - Frances Tiafoe : "Against Roger Federer in 2017, I was so amped, but so nervous"
Le chouchou du public new-yorkais, Frances Tiafoe, a mis fin dimanche au parcours du survolté Alexei Popyrin, tombeur de Novak Djokovic et en feu cet été. L'Américain s'est imposé avec la manière 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 pour filer en quarts de l'US Open. "Foe" jouera son troisième quart de suite à New-York, après un quart en 2023 et une demi-finale en 2022. Mardi, le joueur de 26 ans se frottera à Grigor Dimitrov, qui a joué cinq manches contre Andrey Rublev. Tiafoe a une sacrée carte à jouer.
Vidéo : @USOpen
Vidéo : @USOpen
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00:00Yeah, really, really, really happy with it.
00:07I think the second set was a huge, huge win for me.
00:11You know, five, three, four,
00:12he loved him serving, how good he serves.
00:15That was really, really big.
00:16And to break there and then to win that set was huge.
00:21He did a great job in the third set.
00:22He changed his tactics on me
00:23and it really got me out of sorts,
00:25but did a great job in the fourth.
00:29You know, going one break and winning that.
00:30So ultimately, really happy with the way I played.
00:33He's playing at a really high level as well.
00:35So it was a really good matchup though.
00:37Name and affiliation, one question each.
00:40So I can go around the room.
00:42Jake.
00:43Jake Nissi, Daily Mail.
00:45You mentioned the crowd and the role
00:47that it played after the match.
00:49I'm curious now having sort of a few deep runs
00:53here at the Open.
00:54If you feel like your understanding
00:56of how to kind of harness that energy from the crowd
00:59and use it to your advantage has evolved or changed at all
01:02since you've become kind of a more established face
01:05around here?
01:07Yeah, I think it's picking your moments.
01:09I mean, because you can get so high
01:10because a New Yorker's totally excited for anything.
01:13So just picking and choosing your moments.
01:17But yeah, I mean, figuring it out much more,
01:20but also you want to stay between the lines.
01:22I mean, three out of five is so long
01:23and every day is different.
01:25You know, I played Ben the other day.
01:27It was kind of cooler conditions.
01:28You know, today we play, it's quite humid,
01:29not very hot, but really humid.
01:31So, you know, I'm sweating a lot.
01:33So I don't want to be like exerting so much energy
01:35on that, on celebrations and, you know,
01:36celebrating points rather than staying in the moment.
01:38So just kind of figuring out,
01:41but obviously you always got to, you know,
01:42applaud yourself with separation from the other guy,
01:45breaks and, you know, consolidating breaks
01:47and things like that, so.
01:49But yeah, and then if I'm, you know, if I'm down,
01:51you know, I was down, I think in the second set,
01:54you know, or sorry, the third set, you know,
01:553-1, love 40 and had a hold, you know,
01:58you get excited there, you know, just things like that.
02:01In the back, Charlie.
02:03Congrats, Francis.
02:04Charlie Eccleshain from The Athletic.
02:05Just wanted to ask, like, a couple of days ago,
02:07you went into the shelter match, probably a 50-50 match,
02:10then it looked like you were going to play Novak
02:12and all of a sudden you're in the quarters,
02:14you're one of the favorites.
02:15Like, how's it been for you?
02:16It feels like quite a whirlwind couple of days.
02:19Where's your head at?
02:21I appreciate the compliment.
02:22I didn't think I'm one of the favorites.
02:27You know, I wasn't really thinking about it like that.
02:29I'm more just obviously Novak out.
02:32To be honest with you, like, I mean, I don't, you know,
02:36Alexis has been playing unbelievable.
02:37He's won a master series.
02:39You know, they played three,
02:40this is the third time playing a slam this year.
02:42You know, Alexis has gotten sets off him.
02:44You know, Nolet just, you know, won Olympics.
02:46You know, it wasn't, you know, for me being a tennis guy,
02:48it wasn't the most surprising thing in the world.
02:51Obviously, you know, being Nolet is a huge win
02:52at any point, any time, no matter, you know, where, when,
02:56but I kind of feel like Alexis had the level
02:59and he showed it tonight.
03:00It was a really, really high level.
03:01So, you know, I had to come up with great stuff,
03:04but yeah, I mean, I'm not really looking like,
03:07oh, you know, favorites and things like that.
03:09I'm just, I'm just day by day, literally, you know,
03:12recovery days and focusing on that.
03:14You know, when max day comes,
03:15you start kind of focusing on the max, you know,
03:17grand slams, two weeks, you know,
03:20a lot of going on, can't, can't get ahead of yourself
03:23and, you know, look at what could happen,
03:25things shaking out, everyone's good.
03:27So it doesn't really matter who's in or who's not.
03:31Hey Francis, Tamani Garrett from the Guardian.
03:33You talked quite a bit about the difficult period
03:36you had before this summer.
03:38I'm curious if what you've learned about yourself
03:42during that period and how, in a positive way,
03:45it's changed you at all.
03:47Yeah, this time around definitely changed me
03:50because I guess, I guess the thing that teaches, man,
03:54like, you know, I may not,
03:58it's don't, don't get comfortable, man.
03:59Like it's the most unforgiving game we have, right?
04:01You know, I don't think you got all the answers.
04:05Don't get complacent because, you know, I mean,
04:09the game will test you, man.
04:10Like, and it's so easy when you let go of the rope to,
04:14you don't go through a rope and stuff,
04:15but at the same time, you know,
04:18I think I'm a very, very tough kid, man.
04:23I can, you know, I mean,
04:25I can turn around things very, very quickly
04:27as long as I, you know, fully put myself there.
04:29And also, you know, when you make those tough
04:32and right decisions, I mean,
04:33I think it's huge to have the right people around you.
04:35I have great people around me.
04:37You know, friends, family, my agents,
04:39like making me do the tough thing,
04:41making me, you know, put the right people in place
04:43for me to start doing well.
04:46You know, having those tough conversations,
04:47even if I don't want to have them, you know, have them.
04:48So, but everything happens when it's meant to happen.
04:52And I'm glad it's happening now
04:53because it's the most important time for me.
04:55Brian.
04:58Brian Mone, Associated Press.
04:59It seems like a lot of guys talk about
05:01they didn't have a lot of energy this time of year.
05:03It's been a long season.
05:04It's a tough calendar.
05:05Is there almost an advantage for you?
05:07Because it seems like you care so much about this tournament.
05:09Like you can't be tired now.
05:11It's, you know, that's not going to,
05:13that will not affect you.
05:16It's so easy to say that when things go south.
05:17Oh, you know, I'm tired.
05:18I mean, everyone's traveled, everyone's played,
05:21you know, winner, winner, loser,
05:22everyone's, you know, done the calendar.
05:24You know?
05:25I mean, I don't think that's,
05:27I don't think that's an excuse.
05:28I just think that if you're not at your best,
05:33you're going to lose.
05:34I mean, the depth in the game, as I said, you know,
05:35numerous times is very, very, very, very high.
05:37You know, if you're not ready to play,
05:38if you're not fully present, you're going to lose.
05:40And, you know, I mean,
05:42counted tiredness and things like that.
05:43It's no excuse column, nobody cares.
05:46So, but for me, you know, I'm, I'm ready to go.
05:49I've been, you know, protecting my energy.
05:50I've been, you know, whatever I got to do to be at my best
05:54and, you know, be able to compete.
05:55So that's all I can say.
05:58Right here in the front.
05:59Share Taylor, New York Beacon.
06:01How did you feel he changed in his game in the third set?
06:05And how did you adjust in the fourth set?
06:07Yeah, you know, I guess play a lot more higher balls.
06:11It roped me into coming forward,
06:13slicing the back end much more.
06:16And then started passing me really well.
06:19It was really human condition.
06:20So when he was playing slower,
06:22it's pretty kind of, it felt hard to hit the room.
06:24And I think in the fourth, you know,
06:25he started taking my time, stop rushing,
06:27trying to get the points done and just kind of stay,
06:29stay with it.
06:30He helped me out there a little bit at three, two,
06:33and I'm making that many first serves in that game.
06:35So, but yeah, it was tough.
06:37You know, I don't know if that was from him or maybe,
06:39you know, his coaches, you know, told him that,
06:41but it was definitely a good change for him.
06:44Ed McGrogan, tennis.com.
06:46Did you think that match point went in
06:47when you hit the ball off the racket?
06:49It was so close.
06:51Oh, the forehand?
06:52Yeah.
06:53Oh, I thought I overcooked it.
06:54I was like, when I, when I hit it, I was like, damn.
06:57But yeah, when the crowd, and the crowd just went nuts,
07:02but I was just like, yo, just don't, don't,
07:03don't do the automatic call.
07:04Don't do the automatic call.
07:05And when no one said anything,
07:06that's why my reaction wasn't really,
07:09I didn't really have one, but yeah,
07:11I was just happy it was done anyway.
07:13Sabrina.
07:14Sabrina Boulle from The National, congrats.
07:17We saw on television, you caught up with Serena
07:19before the match, and I'm just wondering,
07:21what's it like having her around now?
07:23She, we saw her saying she's excited
07:25to be a fan around the tour.
07:27Yeah, it's crazy seeing her, and she's not playing.
07:32It's still like, still, it's still wild.
07:36But, but I mean, you know, for her, you know,
07:39wanting to come out and talk to me before the match,
07:41telling me, you know, she's always following,
07:43no matter what, telling me it's so good to see,
07:45you know, now that I'm done, you know,
07:46you're the guy of color playing and doing well.
07:48I'm just like, can we come from her?
07:50I mean, that's, that's a loud sentence.
07:52I'm like, damn, you know, that's,
07:55that's really, really cool that she,
07:57that she sees me as that.
07:58And, you know, her telling me she's wanting something
08:01for her best for me and giving me some game
08:03right before the match.
08:04How you feeling?
08:05Like, where you at?
08:05And it's so funny, her asking me that,
08:07like, I'm like nervous to respond.
08:08Cause I'm like, she's not someone you're going to,
08:10you're going to bullshit and just say like, you know,
08:12she's not trying to hear that.
08:13So, yeah, I was just like, you know, just,
08:17just, you know, it was between us.
08:19I mean, whatever our conversation between us,
08:20but it was, it was really cool to have her
08:23want to talk to me before a match and really,
08:25and really say she wants me to do this thing
08:28and that I'm capable of doing it.
08:29You know what I mean?
08:30And it coming from her, I mean, I, I mean,
08:34it's just so loud.
08:34I mean, I don't think any, it will hit me like that.
08:37If anybody else said it to me.
08:39Roger.
08:43Talking about legends,
08:45you play your very important match in 2017
08:49against Roger Federer here.
08:52What do you remember from that match
08:54and what it talked, talked you to,
08:58to where you are, you're doing now here in New York
09:00that you get so pumped?
09:03I was 19, man.
09:05A long, long time ago.
09:08Well, I think at that time I was like,
09:10well, I'm definitely, I definitely should be here.
09:14That was my second or third year,
09:17second or third year it was open.
09:19Yeah, third year it was open.
09:22And I was just, I remember I was so amped,
09:25but so nervous.
09:25I'm like, I'm playing Roger.
09:26Like he's going to be wearing an all black Nike fit.
09:29It's going to be sick.
09:30Like New York, like lights are so bright.
09:34I was like, this is going to be,
09:35this is going to be unreal.
09:37And then when we went five, I was just like,
09:39yo, am I about to really beat this dude?
09:40Like, this is crazy.
09:43But I think, you know, that, that, that definitely,
09:46I think it said to me that I'm ready for these moments.
09:48I like to be in these moments.
09:49I'm comfortable there and even not winning.
09:52And at that time he had an insane year too.
09:54Won a couple of slams.
09:55So it was, it just made me,
09:57made me think that I'm capable for sure.