Frances Tiafoe becomes Australian Open’s ‘Foenomenal’ contender without losing his showmanship

“Man, I’ve done some good ones!’’ says the Australian Open’s 16th seed, flashing that infectious gap-toothed smile as he relives his famous LeBron James tribute moves en route to a maiden major quarter-final at Melbourne Park in 2019.

“But definitely my LeBron ones here, cos that was like my breakout party for real. I had some good ones at the Open. I’m always giving some celebrations cos it’s super-authentic and I’m just so passionate about the game.’’

Tiafoe the tennis player. Tiafoe the entertainer.

Same, same.

“It’s all in one. Yeah, it’s a show. When I get out there, I honestly don’t know what’s gonna happen,’’ he says, while promising there will be shotmaking and crowd involvement as ‘Big Foe’ brings the fans along on what can be a wild ride.

“The more excited and pumped up I get, seems like the better I actually play, and the more rowdy the crowd is I actually lift up to that, so it becomes definitely a circus,’’ he admits.

“And I interact (with) the crowd. I want them to get excited but none of that’s forced. It’s just kinda what happens. It’s not like I’m out here kinda ‘premed’, like I need to talk to the ball kid or somebody in the crowd at this particular time; it’s all fly-by-night kinda thing.

“I love what I do. I love joking and laughing and seeing what I do makes people happy, right?

“And I hope people can get some inspiration from watching me. I’m just another dude; I just so happen to play tennis at a high level. I love having fun. I’ve been given so much from the game of tennis but I’m just an average dude, a genuine dude.’’

Doing what comes naturally means dancing, strutting, beating his chest, whacking that monster forehand, and whipping off his shirt. Often.

So, this topless thing. Please discuss.

“Yeah, you’re gonna see a lot of that. It’s hot out here, man!’’ Tiafoe laughs.

“I’m gonna be changing shirts like crazy. It’s gonna be good.’’

*****

The Tiafoe backstory, which has been well told, is as feel-good as it gets, with Frances and his twin brother Franklin born in 1998 to immigrants who had fled from the war in Sierra Leone and settled in Washington DC.

Mum Alphina was a health care worker and dad Frances Senior a labourer who became head of maintenance at the local tennis centre he had helped to build — where his young sons occasionally slept overnight on massage tables and, at age five, started to play.

A lengthy 2014 Washington Post profile of the “golden child of American tennis” chronicled Frances’ heady rise to become the nation’s top junior and 18/U Orange Bowl winner at just 15 — younger than former winners such as Federer, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

As the next great men’s hope after 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick, the Tiafoe story was described as “a sporting narrative as improbable as that of Venus and Serena Williams’’.

True?

“Yeah, I think there’s a lot of similarities,’’ Jill Smoller, Serena’s long-time agent now with Tiafoe, tells CODE Sports. “And I think he got a good taste of that semi-final at the US Open and he’s locked in and focused for more.’’

The American public noticed. So did the sponsors, with a fifth endorsement deal soon to be announced for one of the sport’s best-liked and most charismatic players.

“He’s just a breath of fresh air and I think the companies like that,’’ Smoller says. “There’s such a positive energy, and he stands for so much and he’s come from where he’s come from and sort of pulled his way up, and it’s just all great for the game.’’

Tiafoe agrees there are parallels with the Williams’ story that started on public courts in Compton.

“Absolutely. I think that’s why our respect for each other is so high,’’ he says of his close friends. “Those guys are iconic, they’re a whole other level, but for my name to be even in the same sentence as theirs is brilliant. Love it.’’

Meantime, Tiafoe’s off-season was both restful and fruitful and the results are showing. Dual Australian Open semi-finalist Wayne Ferreira joined Team Foe as coach in 2020, and rates a preparation that included an unbeaten United Cup campaign and a Kooyong Classic practice match as far superior to last year’s pair of losses in Adelaide.

“Right now he’s hitting the ball as well as we would like and obviously he can serve a little bit better, but the thing that’s always been his downfall is the concentration and the investment levels for long periods of time,’’ Ferreira said at Kooyong.

Although Delray Beach in 2018 remains Tiafoe’s sole tour-level title, Ferreira saw evidence of an ability to string together more and better matches in finals runs last year in Estoril and Tokyo, and through to that epic US Open semi-final loss to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

“That’s been the biggest problem for him, is keeping that focus and that intensity and be able to play a great match one day, and come out the next day and play another one, and that’s the key for this year, is to have less tournaments where we have bad days.’’

*****

So, given it was almost three years between his two slam quarter-finals, what took Tiafoe so long?

In a word: maturity.

“I think my game was further along than I was mentally,’’ he explains. “There’s a lot of things that came with that. I was the youngest (American) guy the year before to win a title since Roddick.

“I was 21, I was 29 in the world, a lot of expectation, and I wasn’t ready for it. I was still enjoying the life and not really committing, and I think it was a great thing to happen because now I don’t take these moments for granted.

“When you’re going at such an upwards spiral, you don’t think there’s no downward, you just think it’s gonna keep going and you kind of get a little complacent, and it showed.

“I lost a bit of confidence, lost my way a little bit, I had to fire, hire, change my team a bit and now I’m back on the right track and playing some of my best tennis.

“It doesn’t matter when it happens — all that matters is it happens.’’

Tiafoe lost weight. Got fitter. Stuck to the “process”, as he calls it. Started making better decisions. His ranking now at a career-high, fuelling a belief that his best is up there with the best in the world.

Or, to pinch a US headline, Foenomenal.

“Things are coming together,’’ he says. “I know my game. I know how I want to play and I’m trusting my game, and I know my best stuff’s good enough and my base level is much higher. I think that’s just the biggest thing.

“I’m staying in points longer. I’m not always trying to go for a highlight reel and I’m just competing. I’m staying with it and the lulls have stopped as much, so my base level is higher.’’

A slight change to his service motion to incorporate more shoulder rotation has added power and free points, although the percentages can still improve.

So, just as Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios – who Tiafoe rates as “a big contender” for the title – has said this is the first time he truly feels capable of claiming a major title, Tiafoe also feels readier than he ever has. And, having been within one match of the final at Flushing Meadows, knows more about what it takes.

“I’m not trying to achieve anybody else’s expectations of me; I’m just trying to do me. Right now I’m playing some of the best tennis of my life. I’m fit. I’m happy. I know what I can do and I’m here to win the Australian Open.’’

*****

September 23, 2022. The Laver Cup in London.

Roger Federer’s farewell to tennis is a doubles match with his great friend Nadal against Team World’s Jack Sock and Tiafoe, who knows how privileged he was to be part of it.

“It was awesome. It was a special moment. The result was super-irrelevant. I’m just glad it was a tight match and it came down to the wire.’’

The Americans won. Without apology, but with an absolute appreciation that they shared the court with two of the greatest ever on such an emotional occasion.

Something else was unusual, too.

“I’ve never played a match where the crowd’s not against me, but not cheering for me, and so one-sided. So that was also a funny experience,’’ Tiafoe says.

“It was super-weird. Hit Roger a couple of times and the crowd (was) booing. He was such a legend for this game and so is Rafa, and I’m glad Rafa and Novak are still around.

“But Roger, his name will never die.’’

Tiafoe, who turns 25 on Friday, starts his sixth Australian Open on Kia Arena against German Daniel Altmaier; a US Open rematch with defending champion Nadal could eventuate in the fourth round.

Which is both a prospect the world No.17 would relish and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, with a trademark ‘Big Foe’ victory celebration assured.

“I hope we can get there,’’ he says. “I’d love to do that. I’d love to do that again. I’m not afraid of it.’’

Show time.

Bring it on.