'Being great is how you respond': Tiafoe fueled by US Open semifinal loss

Frances Tiafoe has come close to breaking through at Flushing Meadows.

He went the distance with Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open in a gut-wrenching semifinal defeat that lasted 4 hours and 19 minutes.

A year later, the Maryland native fell in the quarterfinals to Ben Shelton, who saved a set point in a decisive third-set tiebreaker.

But the loss to Taylor Fritz in the 2024 semifinals might haunt Tiafoe most. With the former World No. 10 just two games away from his maiden Grand Slam final, things began to unravel.

Trailing 5-4 in the fourth set and up 40-15 on his serve, Tiafoe committed two straight double faults followed by a pair of unforced errors to hand Fritz the break.

Struggling with cramps, Tiafoe managed to win just one more game the rest of the way. The 27-year-old admitted post-match that he got ahead of himself, acknowledging that nerves took over as the finish line neared.

"That still stings, man. Those ones stick with you," Tiafoe told theScore in July at the National Bank Open in Toronto. "I was definitely in the driver's seat, no question. You can argue I could've got up outta there. But again, it's fuel, man. It's sports, man.

"Not everything is how you want it to go. Being great is how you respond to tough, adverse moments. It teaches you a lot about yourself. So when I get back there and get back in that position, hopefully I'm third-time lucky. ... I'm gonna give everything I got once New York comes."

Tiafoe has spent the last year building toward another shot at his home Slam.

He's had a full season working alongside David Witt, who joined the team in July 2024 after a brief five-month coaching stint with Maria Sakkari.

Tiafoe had a rocky early hard-court season before scoring surprising success on clay, where he owns a sub-.500 career record. He reached the finals on home soil in Houston, made his first Round of 16 appearance at the Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid, and advanced to his maiden French Open quarterfinals.

Alongside compatriot Tommy Paul, Tiafoe became the first American man to make the last eight at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003.

Tiafoe has found a comfort zone with Witt's similar laid-back demeanor. The 2022 WTA Coach of the Year will share stories from his previous partnerships with Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula, offering Tiafoe alternate perspectives on the game.

Playing with aggression is one of the biggest things Witt preaches to Tiafoe. That mindset shift was evident during the clay-court season, as the three-time ATP titlist looked more assertive and eager to impose his will on opponents.

Tiafoe ranked third in second-serve points won (64%), sixth in aces (37), seventh in winners (188), and eighth in net points won (76%) during this year's French Open.

His return numbers improved, too, as he positioned himself closer to the baseline and frequently took the ball early in an attempt to seize control of rallies.

Tiafoe sits ninth in second-serve return points won (739), 15th in break points converted (124), and 19th in return games won (22.71%) this season.

"It's still obviously up and down, but I think it's understanding my game better and better every year," Tiafoe said. "I'm figuring out how to get myself going and understanding that when I'm aggressive and putting pressure on guys, I'm the most dangerous."

Tiafoe added, "(Witt's) just trying to get me to commit to playing the right way. Sometimes, I still get into this passive mindset and kind of just put balls in play and not hurt guys. I think sometimes I get vulnerable in those moments."

Tiafoe has shown more consistency during the North American summer hard-court swing, winning two matches in each of his US Open tuneup events. Although he has stumbled at times to produce a series of solid results, Tiafoe boasts deep major runs and several big wins.

Notably, Tiafoe has beaten both Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz. His last two matches against Alcaraz went five sets, with the Spaniard needing to overcome a two-set-to-one deficit in their latest encounter at Wimbledon last year.

While Tiafoe isn't short on self-belief whenever he lines up across the net, he said he knows he has to raise his baseline level of performance when he takes on Sinner and Alcaraz.

"For me, it's just trying to get my average standard higher," Tiafoe said. "I'm such a big-match player. ... It's easy to play Alcaraz at Center Court of Wimbledon. It's easy to play Alcaraz at semis of the US Open.

"If you're not gonna bring your best stuff there, you don't deserve it. Played Sinner in the final of Cincinnati (last year). We also played a good match. It's just about getting the standard higher. It gives me a ton of confidence to know I can beat those guys. It's a matter of getting there."

Tiafoe's US Open campaign begins against Yoshihito Nishioka and his path to an elusive major crown will likely require conquering both Sinner and Alcaraz.

The two young superstars are beginning to author their own era of dominance as the Big Three's run atop the sport nears its end.

Sinner and Alcaraz have hoisted eight of the last nine Grand Slam trophies, including back-to-back major finals against one another.

Their epic 5-hour, 29-minute championship match at this year's French Open gave Tiafoe another reminder of the work still needed to keep pace with the duo.

"They're the pinnacle of the sport right now," Tiafoe said of Sinner and Alcaraz. "If you want to win a Slam - which I do. It's the only thing I really want to do, to be honest with you. I don't really care about the titles I win. ... I just want to win a Slam before I call it a career. You gotta go through them.

"That gives you a ton of motivation to want to keep getting better. Keep adding things to your game. I think I'm still capable of doing so and beating those guys when it counts in the biggest matches in the world."