Frances Tiafoe is not playing very good tennis right now, and more concerningly, he seems to be not enjoying his time while on the court.
Tiafoe’s bubbly personality is what made him such a great watch on the tennis court. He was always up for a good rally, always up for some showmanship, and trending to become a very great tennis player.
None of that is happening this year, as Tiafoe has played below his level but also looked like he was not enjoying his time on the tennis court. The American simply hasn’t looked like himself in recent months, and former WTA player Andrea Petkovic hypothesized what might be going on in the latest episode of the Inside In podcast.
According to her, Tiafoe lost the joy he had while playing tennis, and it’s mostly because of pressure that he faced since becoming a contender.
“I really feel for him and this is the toughest part when you have a player like Frances [Tiafoe] who lives on the joy of the game and who lives on playing the game rather than working the game.”
Tiafoe had the best season of his life last year, with some sustained great performances. However, it kind of faded as the season went on, especially around the US Open, where he dealt with a lot of pressure based on what he had done the previous year, being so close to going all the way.
The pressure that arose from expectations impacted Tiafoe, according to Petkovic, causing him to lose the joy he had while playing tennis.
“I think what has been happening to Frances a little bit is the pressure of playing well is mounting as you said and so he has lost that joy a little bit.”
It’s not the most out-of-line assumption, as he really doesn’t look like he enjoys tennis right now. What caused it? Who knows? Perhaps the Sunshine Double will change that.
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