Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz have ignited an epic rivalry that has captured the hearts of tennis fans in recent years.
Tiafoe suffered a gut-wrenching five-set defeat by the Spaniard at his native US Open in the 2022 semi-finals that left the American visibly distraught.
It followed a breathtaking run that included a triumph over Rafael Nadal, giving Tiafoe the motivation to claim that he would come back and ‘win this thing one day’.
This year, after Tiafoe was beaten by Alcaraz in five sets at Wimbledon, the 26-year-old opted to skip the Olympics in a bid to emulate his form of 2022 on the North American hard courts.
This decision appears to have been a smart one, considering his recent run to the semi-finals in Washington and his good start at the Cincinnati Open this week, where he will play Lorenzo Musetti in the second round on Wednesday.
Frances Tiafoe claims rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz has ignited a fire
The intense rivalry between Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz first arose back in 2021 when the latter was establishing a name for himself on the scene.
However, it has not been until recent times that it reached boiling point, most notably during their third-round clash at Wimbledon this year.
Alcaraz prevailed in another thriller, but the American has claimed that the match in question is what has spurred him on to where he is now.
“Look man, me and Carlos [Alcaraz] have played two incredible matches,” Tiafoe told Tennis Channel. “I love the man more than anything.
“Obviously, the athlete is incredible – we know that. But he’s an incredible person and he brings out the best in me, and I think I do the same.
“Though I am going to have to win one of those. That [match] definitely steamrolled me and helped me to where I am now.”
Can Tiafoe win the US Open?
Tiafoe’s decision to skip the Olympics in Paris this summer was welcomed by compatriot Andy Roddick, who believes that the 26-year-old has a shot at emulating the form that he mustered up in 2022.
This choice has already proved to be successful in his bid to fine-tune his game on the hard courts, as he was able to surge to the semi-final stage at the ATP 500 in Washington, where he beat world number six Andrey Rublev before falling short to the eventual champion Sebastian Korda.
American tennis has witnessed a red-hot rise in recent times with four players now inside the top-15.
Tiafoe has been left behind after a relatively poor 2024 campaign by his lofty standards, but he is more than capable of going deep at the US Open – something he knows a trick or two about.
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