American pro Frances Tiafoe began his French Open campaign on a strong note with a four-set victory over fellow American Eliot Spizzirri in the first round on Monday. Afterward, the world No. 22 spoke with Tennis Channel broadcasters, discussing his win and expressing a positive outlook for the tournament, drawing inspiration from San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
Tiafoe discussed his mindset for Roland Garros and clarified his earlier comments about Jannik Sinner. He had said that top men’s players can beat Sinner if they believe in themselves. While Sinner deserves his high ranking, players also need the right skills and sometimes an illusion to beat him.
“The biggest thing that I implement in my everyday sport is definitely mentality. I mean, see what Wemby has been saying. That stuff gets me juiced up. He’s like, I don’t think Shai should have won the MVP; I think I am the MVP,” Tiafoe said.
“Like in his house during the whole thing, he’s sitting down; he’s not even giving his respects or talking to him after the game, like that’s the energy I love because that’s what it’s all about. To be honest, that’s what even made me say what I said the other day because I was like, “That’s what it’s about.” You are taking things off my plate,” he added.
Frances Tiafoe to Face Hubert Hurkacz in R2 at Roland Garros
In the second round of the French Open, Tiafoe will play hard-hitting Pole Hubert Hurkacz. It will be the eighth professional meeting between the pair, with the American leading the Lexus ATP head-to-head 4-3. This will also be their first meeting on clay, as all their previous meetings have been on the hard surface.
Hurkacz is coming off a four-set victory over Jaume Munar in the opening round of Roland Garros. Both players will be eager to make a deep run in the ongoing Grand Slam, as they suffered with inconsistencies on tour during the clay-court tournament.
Tiafoe’s best run on clay came at the Houston Open, where he reached the semifinal, while Hurkacz’s best performance came at the ATP Challenger event in Cagliari, where he reached the final. The duo will play their second round match on Wednesday.
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