Frances Tiafoe came back from two sets down to reach the second round of Wimbledon yesterday – and then went on the offensive!
The American star was forced to pull out the stops against Italian player Matteo Arnaldi.
He trailed 7-6, 6-2 and looked to be heading out of Wimbledon at the first hurdle in disappointing fashion.
However, he dug deep and won the final three sets 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 to set up a clash with Borna Coric tomorrow.
After such a brilliant match, Tiafoe should have been grabbing the headlines for all of the right reasons – but that didn’t happen.
He made comments after the match that haven’t gone down too well with supporters – and his fellow professionals are unlikely to be happy either.
Tennis fans react to Frances Tiafoe comments
After his match, Tiafoe told UBI Tennis: “Literally this 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 going to be honest.”
Many fans took to X to speak of his comments and it’s fair to say that he’s come in for some criticism.
Another fan was incensed with the choice of words from Tiafoe and said: “Wow, the disrespect towards his colleagues.”
Someone else shared the sentiment and actually felt that Tiafoe couldn’t talk as he’d won nothing of note himself.
They wrote: “The disrespect. Meanwhile, he’s never won anything worth winning. Talk about being a clown.”
Another felt he’d picked the wrong sport given this level of trash-talking, saying:
One fan clearly wasn’t happy with Tiafoe making these claims, suggesting: “He’s the clown! Loser!”
Yet another fan lost their head at the American player, posting: “There are no clowns in tennis these days. Everyone can lose to anyone…But thanks for the self-revelation, Tiafoe.”
Finally, someone else pointed to the fact that Tiafoe had not won enough in his career to be making these claims:
Tiafoe piles pressure on Wimbledon match with strange comments
It’s hard to knock Tiafoe for speaking his mind but it’s a shame someone on his team hasn’t advised him against these comments.
For starters, which players exactly is Tiafoe talking about? The tour is tough these days and in fairness, there are some strong players lower down the rankings.
Tiafoe is 26 and has won just three career titles, reaching just one Grand Slam semi-final during this career.
Now, he’s going to find himself under pressure against Coric, with players unwilling to forget comments of this nature.
After such a big win he’d have been wise to focus on the positive of coming back from two sets behind for the first time in his career and spout the media-trained stuff about his next match.
Instead, the world number 28 is now under massive pressure and he needs to ensure he gets a big win tomorrow in the second round.
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