Frances Tiafoe admits he has been struggling physically and mentally coming into Wimbledon.
A former top 10 player at his best and US Open semi-finalist, the American is yet to reach top form this season. Out of 15 tournaments played since the start of 2024, he has only won back-to-back matches in two of them. As a result, his ranking has dipped from 16th to 30th over the past six months. The last time he was ranked this low was in March 2022.
To make matters worse for Tiafoe, he has been nursing an MCL sprain, which is a sprain that can be caused by direct trauma to the knee. Despite this, he defied the odds at Wimbledon on Monday by staging an epic comeback to defeat Matteo Arnaldi 6-7(5), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. Making it the first time he has won a match after losing the first two sets.
“It’s brutal. Highs and lows. Think about where I’m at,” Taifoe said of his own experiences when talking about mental health issues in men’s tennis.
“Literally this week last year I was 10 in the world and now I’m barely seeded here (at Wimbledon). Losing to clowns, I hate to say it but I’m just gonna be honest.
“I took the game for granted and got a little too comfortable. You stop having fun with it and you find yourself in a weird position. Then you kind of forget what you were doing to win?”
The rollercoaster journey has led to Tiafoe questioning his abilities in the sport despite his credentials. A three-time ATP Tour champion who goes by the nickname Big Foe, he has recorded almost 200 Tour-level wins at the age of 26 and earned more than $10M in prize money.
“You start doubting yourself and all these kinds of things,” he continued.
“But it’s the game. It’s like anything, nothing is peaches and cream all the time. It’s about how fast you can kind of get out of that. And there is always light at the end of the tunnel, whether you either try and find it with small wins or continue to feel sorry for yourself and continue to play victim, that’s where it just gets darker and darker and darker.”
Tiafoe’s situation is one that many players on the Tour can relate to but how did he manage to get out of his slum?
“God has been helped me quite a lot,” he said.
“But friends and family. They were just like, ‘Dude, you got you to start having fun. Your life is okay from where you started. What you’re doing is consuming way too much. Just Just have fun.”
As for his upcoming match against Borna Coric, fun and enjoyment will take priority over everything else. An approach Tiafoe hopes will help him return towards the top of the men’s game.
