MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

July 25, 2025

Frances Tiafoe

Press Conference

B. SHELTON/F. Tiafoe

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Tough luck, Frances. What do you think happened at the end of that first set especially? It looked like you got on top of him and slipped pretty quick after that.

FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah, just passive, man. Missed a backhand cross at 6-5, 30-All that I just never miss. A long point, but still I'm on the defense in that rally, and he hit a quality shot, played a great breaker.

Then I felt like I was hanging for dear life, hanging for dear life, doubled it at 3-All, miss it, but still long games.

But ultimately in that situation, just not aggressive enough. Look, he's a top player; I'm a top player. The window of opportunity is very small.

I didn't take it. I was very, very passive all of a sudden, which, you know, usually I rise to that occasion. You know, I helped him out, and then obviously he's such a good front runner, won the first set, opened up his shoulders and played great.

Kind of unacceptable from my part. Hell of a match I thought tonight.

Q. Can you walk me through this? You're one of the guys pretty resilient on your stance on the baseline. To even return a big serve like Ben's, where do you feel like you land on the risk versus reward of that paying off for you when he's serving so big and hitting corners?

FRANCES TIAFOE: He was reaching back tonight. He was living in the 140s. Fourth time playing him. He hasn't lived in there. Mixing it up and things like that. 140, and not the highest percentage but making a lot when it counted.

You know, I mean, he only aced me, what, nine times. I thought I was in games. But I think what made it tough is I was playing really long service game, so it was hard to put energy into his after a while.

But I'm not going back. I'm going to stay on the baseline. Because if I connect, I hit the return like I did at 5-All where it gets back on you quick. I'd rather take that than not hitting great returns and being in a bad position.

Q. You suggested from your side you felt maybe a little passive, seeing Ben was very aggressive tonight. What stood out with his play tonight?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Well, the court's really fast. He was going for broke, damn near, I felt. He was hitting balls huge. Serving big first, second, a lot of forehands, driving it as hard as he could.

On a fast court, it was very, very tough. I felt like I had to kind of dig a lot tonight. But yeah, I mean, he took it to me, and, you know, I didn't do the best job of adjusting.

Q. You have talked a bit in the past about how important this tournament is to you, being it's your home tournament. Is there maybe, based on your face there, so yeah, a different frustration in being here nine times and not being able to get what you ultimately want out of this tournament so far?

FRANCES TIAFOE: I mean, it's tough, man. Three years in a row, lost to the winner, yet to see what happens this year.

It's hard. I mean, I really want to win the event. I really don't know how else to explain it. It's hard falling up short.

It's tough. I mean, I played pretty well tonight. Other than that 5-6 game, which I really want back, but ultimately, yeah, I really want to win. Every year that kind of goes by, it's another year that goes by, another year older.

I just want to get over the line and get it done, what that will look like, what that will feel like. But ultimately, man, for the bigger goal, obviously which is the Open, if I'm playing like this this early in the summer and got three matches under my belt and two matches ahead of us, I take a week like that, and I thought I played pretty well tonight, other than a couple key things I can easily shore up.

Q. You talked about the speed Ben was working with tonight. What's the key to getting a racquet on serves like that? Even his groundstrokes were big tonight. Is it court positioning? How do you do that?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah, I mean, we have practiced a bunch, so you know where the guy is going to serve obviously, but 145 is 145. 141, it's coming.

Try to meet it, use the space, and have them get on him. From the back of the court, just staying down, try to not lift up, and, you know, again use his pace.

I found myself lifting a lot. It was tough. He was hitting huge, man. But I thought I couldn't move the ball around a bit better than I did. I thought I was playing backhand too consistently, and then he wasn't running as much as I was.

Couple things I will probably do a little different next time, but yeah, I mean, I have got to take my hat off. He played pretty well. Once I gave him the window to come back, he definitely took it. You've got to tip your hat off.

Q. In practice earlier, I saw you working on your serve, and you had it clicking in the first set 68%. Seemed like it fell off, down to 44 in the second. Is that where you feel you lose some of that momentum when you have to get in these long four, five deuce games, because you haven't been able to put it away earlier?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Playing really long games tonight. Yeah, just sometimes get a little too quick, percentage comes down, and a lot of second serves, guys get looks. It's tough to hold against better guys, just giving them second serves no matter how big you're going on them.

You run the risk of doubling. So I'm just trying to serve at a higher clip, and yeah, it will come. It will come.

Q. I realize this might be kind of hard to compare, but you won the last match at the US Open, obviously a great battle. What do you think maybe he did better today or you did better in New York?

FRANCES TIAFOE: It's all about bigger points, man. It's not much. I mean, look, I'm 11, he's 8, 7, whatever. Who's going to take those bigger moments, who's going to rise to the occasion.

We're both going to be in the position to win. It's a matter of taking it. I didn't. I got broken. He played an incredible breaker.

I'm hanging for dear life. I think that was one of the biggest things. When it counted he was more aggressive than I was. He took more chances than I did. Big risk, high reward. I played more of the safety route at the crucial moment. You know, he got the reward.

Q. Now that this week is over for you on the court, what's your reflections on this event? Seemed like it was a positive event in a lot of ways, things going on with you and Venus, Taylor just got doubles No. 1 tonight. What's your overall feeling of this event and the culture around it, to be a big part of it the way you are?

FRANCES TIAFOE: I think it's a great event. I think it's a great event. It's gotten better and better every year. You saw, it was absolutely packed tonight, Friday night. It's incredible, as anticipated. Felt great to be out there. It was a lot of fun.

I think the energy around the grounds, you know, people are liking tennis. Diversity in the game, it's great. A lot of nontennis fans want to come out and watch and be a part of it. I think D.C. is a city that likes tennis and deserves to have tennis, so I hope this tournament stays here for a long time.

The tournament is going the right way. It's in a public park, and people are absolutely loving it. I love everything about it, seeing staff and friends, people I haven't seen in so long.

I just want to give them a title one year. I mean, that's the biggest thing. I think the event is going in a great place. I think it would be incredible place if my name was around the stadium. That's yet to be seen, for sure.

Q. Looking ahead to next week, possibly Canada, I don't know if you're the kind of player that looks at maybe the withdrawals that have been happening. If you are, there have been quite a few. Do you look at that as an opportunity to make noise there? How do you feel about that event being extended as well as Cincinnati and them being so close to each other in this part of the season?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah, look, it is what it is. I like that it's a bit shorter than Madrid, Rome. Weird because the final is on a Thursday. That's garbage.

But, I mean, I think it's going to be great. It's going to be a lot of fun. I love the city of Toronto. My girlfriend's from there. Then I've got a lot of friends in the league from there, so I'm going to be set up, have a good time.

But yeah, I mean, I guess I'm ready to get going and see how that goes. The 10-day events are tough, but I think it will be easier since I'm so close to the States. Something goes wrong, I'm a quick flight home. It's not like when I'm stuck on Europe and playing on red clay and people speaking different languages and shit.

It's better to kind of be in the States, so for sure, I'm really happy. Hopefully put up some good results going into the Open. That's kind of what matters.