We played when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal were still elite & Novak Djokovic” – Frances Tiafoe on setting a ‘precedent’ for rise of American men’s tennis
(From left) Frances Tiafoe, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. (Photos: Getty)
(From left) Frances Tiafoe, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. (Photos: Getty)
Frances Tiafoe has shared his thoughts on the rise of American men’s tennis in the recent past. Tiafoe suggested he and his contemporary compatriots looked up to the Big 3 — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — in the initial years of their careers, adding that they’ve set a precedent for the coming generation of American players after having shared the court with the legendary trio.
Tiafoe, the World No. 16, is among the five US tennis players, including Taylor Fritz (7), Tommy Paul (13), Sebastian Korda (15), and Ben Shelton (17), inside the ATP Top 20.
Fritz most recently became the first American man to play a Grand Slam final after Andy Roddick’s run to the 2009 Wimbledon final. Fritz, however, ended second best to Jannik Sinner at the 2024 US Open, where Tiafoe played till the semifinals.
Tiafoe and Fritz are in Berlin for the Laver Cup, representing Team World alongside Ben Shelton and others under the leadership of fellow American John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe. On Day 2 of the proceedings in Berlin, Tiafoe defeated Team Europe’s Daniil Medvedev and Fritz overcame the Russian’s teammate Alexander Zverev.
Following his win, the World No. 16 addressed a press conference, reflecting on the progress the men from the US have made on the tour.
“There is a core of us, and Reilly [Opelka] is coming back,” Frances Tiafoe said. “Me, Reilly, Tommy, Fritz, I mean, we have been going at it, since, I mean, 11, 12, doing little camps and kind of always pushing each other, always good blood. We were really, really close.”
Notably, Tiafoe, Fritz, and Paul took up tennis professionally in the same year, 2015, and took inspiration from and played alongside the likes of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
“Everybody has a different path, but for those core guys, I think we set a precedent that it is possible, because we kind of still played when Roger and Rafa were still elite, and Novak. Well, Novak is going to be elite until he’s 70, but I think that was the biggest reason
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