Frances Tiafoe put Team World in charge as he came back to defeat Daniil Medvedev in Saturday’s Laver Cup opener.
After five consecutive defeats to the tall Russian, Frances Tiafoe seemed to have his work cut out once again as he lost the opening set 6-3.
As ever, Tiafoe’s charismatic and dynamic game prompted a number of gasps from both his teammates and the captivated crowd as he sought a way back into the contest.
Turning the tide, the American broke decisively in the second set to send the tie to a 10-point match tie-break.
Huddled around an energized Team World, Tiafoe surged to a 4-1 lead and never looked back.
A selection of huge forehands saw the three-point margin continue to 8-5, before Tiafoe handed Daniil Medvedev two fatal blows to secure a stunning 10-5 win.
Frances Tiafoe compares himself to Roger Federer as he unveils new mental approach
With five defeats on the hard courts since their first meeting back in 2019, Tiafoe’s win arguably wasn’t as shocking as history might tempt us into thinking.
After a successful summer of tennis propelled the American back into the top 20 and to a second major semi-final, his form is arguably the strongest out of all Laver Cup players.
Not short of praise for his performance, a thrilled Tiafoe told the Laver Cup: “It was crazy, I played pretty well there in that second set. Honestly, I just started having fun. I started to find my rhythm … midway in the second [set] and in the tiebreak, I felt like I was Roger Federer, honestly.”
Having also reached the Cincinnati finals in August, Tiafoe explained how his new altered mental approach has enabled this latest purple patch.
“I’m playing some of the best tennis of my life right now,” the American said. “[If] you keep looking at the past, it’s like trying to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, I have lost to him so many times.
“I…have this mindset, this working mentality where you kind of just take it for what it is, go and battle, put your best foot forward and see what happens.”
Frances Tiafoe needs to continue aiming high at the Australian Open
Having played both last year’s finalists in Melbourne within the last month, Tiafoe has been able to properly test himself against the world’s best.
A close-run defeat to Jannik Sinner in the midwest still gives Tiafoe much to be optimistic about.
He took Carlos Alcaraz to five sets at Wimbledon, as well as Taylor Fritz in the semi-final of the US Open.
After suggestions that Tiafoe lost energy in the final set of his US Open match, it might be the one thing he has to work on.
With many of the top 10 fighting off injuries, experiencing inconsistency, or decreasing their tournament appearances, Tiafoe needs to set the goal of a top 10 return for next year.
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