Frances Tiafoe is having one of the most positive seasons of his career, reaching the semifinal of the US Open earlier this month. And now for the American there is the Laver Cup, a tournament that evokes special memories for him, having defeated – paired with Jack Sock – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, in the last match of the Swiss Maestro’s career.
Tiafoe relived the emotions of that moment, saying he is motivated to do well in this edition too to continue the excellent results obtained this year.
“It was a crazy moment when they both cried while holding hands. I saw myself at 8 or 9 years old watching their matches on big stages and in Roger’s last match, seeing them in that moment was incredible. A Spanish boy who barely spoke English when he started and a Swiss gentleman who speaks perfect English. They are so different from each other, but to see how they respect and appreciate each other? I think experiencing it on site is the most impressive thing that has ever happened to me,” he said.
Sock and Tiafoe vs Federer and Nadal, Laver Cup 2022© @_TennisCoaching X account
On Team World’s chances of achieving another success in this competition, Frances analyzed: “It’s very motivating to play here, it would mean a lot to win. I love team competitions, they give me a special motivation and receiving advice from McEnroe is something unique.”
While waiting for the start of the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup, where Team Europe and Team World will battle it out, Roger Federer has already visited the two team captains – Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, in their last appearance as captains of Team Europe and Team World respectively.
https://t.co/LnzKGNQHHL Frances Tiafoe shares what he told Roger Federer after beating Swiss in his farewell: Tiafoe and Jack Sock beat Federer and Rafael Nadal in a doubles match at the 2022 Laver Cup. https://t.co/TCHiTqwr0X pic.twitter.com/UxLgxScsIJ
— tenniscoaching.com (@_TennisCoaching) September 24, 2023