Frances Tiafoe enjoyed a positive start to his Australian Open campaign, winning his opening match against Jason Kubler.
The American overcame Kubler in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2, with his new coach, Mark Kovacs, in his corner.
Tiafoe appointed Kovacs after a disappointing season on the ATP Tour in 2025, during which he fell to as low as 30th in the rankings.
Following his triumph, the 27-year-old was asked if there are ever any awkward moments in the locker room after matches.
Frances Tiafoe says it can be ‘strange’ in the ATP locker room
Tiafoe responded: “I mean, it’s just part of it, right? There’s so much normality in it. I think it is strange.
“But, I mean, I talk to guys before I play them. If we’re, like, in the same locker room or around each other, I ain’t going to be, like, Oh, I’m playing you, we’re not talking, because there’s going to be a couple of hours when we get out there and we ain’t talking. It don’t really matter.
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“I’m not doing the most, but if we see him, especially if I’m cool with the guy, I’ll have a conversation with you. You know, I was playing with Vukic last week, and I was really close with his coach, Brad Dancer, in Illinois.
“We sitting there, and I was asking him how his coach is, do you still go to State to practice? We were going on in minutes.
“It has no effect on really how the match is going to turn out, because once you get on the court, it’s kill or be killed. Before that, it doesn’t really matter.”
Frances Tiafoe says some players don’t look him in the eye in the locker room
Tiafoe continued: “Everyone operates different. There’s no harm in it. Some guys are not going to look you in the eye.
“If I’m going to play Carlos [Alcaraz], me and Carlos will dab each other, hug each other before we go out there, like, let’s have fun out there. Even after the coin toss, we’ll probably do the same thing.
“Then you have other guys where it’s like they’re staring me down, and I’m staring them down. It’s a personality thing, a person thing, and relationship.”
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Tiafoe’s next assignment at the Australian Open comes in the form of Francisco Comesana, whom he has never faced before.
The US star’s best result in Melbourne is a quarterfinal finish, which he managed in 2019.
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