Frances Tiafoe advanced to the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career by defeating the second-seeded Rafael Nadal in four sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. This victory was by far the most impressive of his career.
In front of a boisterous home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 22nd seed defeated Nadal for the first time in a grand slam this year. It is also the first time since Wimbledon 2017 that Nadal has been eliminated from a grand slam before the quarterfinals.
After Nadal’s final backhand landed in the net, Tiafoe was in disbelief as he attempted to comprehend the magnitude of his accomplishment. “I have no idea what to say right now. During his on-court interview, Tiafoe exclaimed, “I’m so happy I’m almost in tears.”
Monday evening during his press conference, Tiafoe described these emotions. I told my agent that I felt as though the world had stopped. I was unable to hear anything for one minute. Even as I shook [Nadal’s] hand, I have no idea what I said to him. It was a complete blur. I had already begun to cry. I could hardly see him or my teammates.”
As he competed in his third consecutive fourth-round match at the US Open and as he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier this summer, Tiafoe entered the world’s largest tennis stadium with confidence in his ability to pull off a major victory.
He served impeccably from the outset, combining aggressive tennis with his signature variety and flair. Even after tying the match at one set apiece and then looking to capitalize on Tiafoe’s nerves late in the third set, Nadal continued to apply pressure. He refused to back down.
Tiafoe served out the second set with two audacious forehand winners down the line, followed by a service that was not returned. After falling behind 3-1 in the fourth set, Tiafoe won five consecutive games, slamming an ace after a tense, close service game for 4-3 and then playing the best return game of his life to clinch the match.
Tiafoe stated that his legs felt like cement after the lengthy 4-3 game. “All I could think was, ‘Just get out of the game,’ and I did.” In the quarterfinals, he will face Andrey Rublev after the No. 9 seed defeated Cameron Norrie in straight sets earlier on Monday.
Tiafoe is the son of Sierra Leonean immigrants, and he became interested in tennis when his father worked as a janitor at a Washington tennis club. Since he was a teenager, he has been surrounded by excitement, but he has had to be patient as an adult, watching his contemporaries surpass him in the rankings while he waits to experience such moments himself.
“For a while, I was thinking, ‘Jeez. You see all of these young players defeat Rafa, Federer, and Novak. Will I ever be able to say that I defeated one of them?’ Today, I decided, “No, I will do that.” Now I can tell my children and grandchildren, “Yeah, I defeated Rafa.” I hope I never face him again, but I do wish to win.”
Tiafoe’s idol, NBA superstar LeBron James, was among those who praised Tiafoe’s performance on Twitter. “CONGRATS Young King!!! You deserve it!” James tweeted alongside a video of the decisive moment of the game.
“I was losing it in the locker room,” Tiafoe said with a chuckle. “I was losing my mind.” That is my man. So when I saw him tweet that, I wondered, “Should I retweet it as soon as he sent it?” I thought to myself, “I’ll be cool and pretend I didn’t see it, and then retweet it three hours later.”
Nadal brushed aside questions about his preparation and the abdominal injury that limited him to a single tournament before the US Open as he digested the bittersweet conclusion of a great and complicated year. According to him, he had been practicing diligently before the tournament, but for reasons he could not explain, his level dropped as soon as the tournament began.
“It is normal that 15 minutes after a loss in the season’s final grand slam to feel like everything is dark and difficult to have the positive energy to look forward,” Nadal said in Spanish. “However, the days will pass and I will persevere as I have done my entire life; I am confident I have the inner strength to do so once more.”
Nadal will return to Mallorca, where Mery is pregnant with the couple’s first child. September’s Laver Cup is his next scheduled tournament, but his next appearance will depend on his wife’s pregnancy and when he plans to return to the tour.
“It’s been a few months that have been a little stressful in every manner. And from there, I will resume my career and, on a personal level, complete something significant in my life, namely the birth of my first child. I am confident that everything will come up nicely,” Nadal remarked.
Everything for Tiafoe has changed. Before the event, Tiafoe stated that, despite years of attention and pressure as a child, he was content to go under the radar. “That’s over, man,” he said with a smile. “I was considering that. Now that’s finished. There is no longer a dark horse.”
