Frances Tiafoe admits that Serena Williams’ little chat with him was a “loud sentence” after his fourth-round win at 2024 US Open

Frances Tiafoe reveals that a pep talk with Serena Williams inspired him to beat Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round of the 2024 US Open.

Frances Tiafoe admits that Serena Williams’ little chat with him was a “loud sentence” after his fourth-round win at 2024 US Open

Frances Tiafoe and Serena Williams (via Getty Images/Imago)

Frances Tiafoe has revealed that an unexpected pep talk with Serena Williams inspired him to his fourth-round victory over Alexei Popyrin at the 2024 US Open. The American reached his third consecutive US Open quarterfinal with a 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 win against the Australian.

Before arriving in Ohio for the Cincinnati Open, Tiafoe was struggling with his game and had a 19-18 win-loss record on the tour. Since then, he has won nine of his last ten matches, including a run to his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati.

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Tiafoe began his US Open campaign with a thumping 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 victory over fellow American Aleksandra Kovacevic. He then outclassed Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 in the second round.

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His first major test came in the third round against 13th seed Ben Shelton. Tiafoe came from behind to beat Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-3. Heading into his fourth-round match against Popyrin, he was the second favorite owing to the Aussie’s famous victory over Novak Djokovic in the third round.

However, Tiafoe rose to the occasion to end Popyrin’s campaign with an impressive victory. After the match, Tiafoe revealed that he had a good chat with six-time US Open champion Serena Williams before the match against Popyrin, which gave him a big boost.

It's crazy seeing her not playing. It's still wild. But I mean, you know, for her wanting to come out and talk to me before the match, telling me she's always following no matter what, telling me ‘it's so good to see now that I'm done, you're the guy of color playing and doing well.’ I'm, like, coming from her, that's a loud sentence. I'm, like, damn. That's really, really cool that she sees me as that.
Frances Tiafoe said at a US Open press conference

Grigor Dimitrov also revealed that Williams recently gave him a pep talk before his fourth match. The Bulgarian went on to beat Andrey Rublev in five sets to reach his first quarterfinals at the US Open since 2019.

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Frances Tiafoe praises Grigor Dimitrov ahead of their US Open quarterfinal clash

Frances Tiafoe will face Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open. The American was full of praise for the Bulgarian following his five-set thriller win over sixth seed Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.

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Frances Tiafoe (Image via New York Times)

Tiafoe and Dimitrov have met each other four times on the tour, with the latter leading 3-1 in the head-to-head. Ahead of their clash in New York, Tiafoe admitted that Dimitrov was in great form and vowed to give his all to reach the semifinals.

Obviously he's so talented. He's been one of the most talented players for a very, very long time. He's playing great in the later stages of his career and he's starting to find great form again. So it's going to be really, really tough. He can hit all the shots. I'm going to make him fight for it and earn it and I'm sure he is, too. I hope you guys are with me there as well.
Frances Tiafoe said (via ATP)

Tiafoe and Dimitrov have never gotten past the semifinals of the US Open. Both players will be eager to register a win and go all the way at the Flushing Meadows, especially with title favorites Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic making exits this year.

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