Frances Tiafoe is one of the most entertaining players on tour, but has struggled to maintain a consistent level…
The American star was once ranked as high as 10th in the world and reached two Grand Slam semifinals.
Today, he’s the world number 31 and was upset in the third round of the US Open at the end of 2025.
The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!
Heading into the 2026 season and the Australian Open, Tiafoe has spoken about his intentions to ‘lock in’ and find his best tennis.
During her pre-tournament press conference, Pegula shared whether she believed Tiafoe has that in him.
Jessica Pegula admits she doesn’t know what a ‘locked-in’ Frances Tiafoe would look like
“It’s going to have to be in his own way. And I hope he can figure that out, whatever that is,” she said.
“It’s funny because when I’ve seen him, or he has a new coach or something, I’m like, gosh, I hope they don’t take away what makes him him because that’s always going to be at the end of the day what makes him so good.
“His skill level and his talent level, and having fun on the court, and creativity, and all that stuff.
“Hopefully, he figures it out.
“He says he’s going to lock in. I don’t really know what his lock-in is.
“We’ll see what he does. I’m curious to ask him now what he’s going to do to lock in more. Maybe remember his racquets!”
The 31-year-old then shared what it’s like spending time with Tiafoe.
“Every time I see him, he’s always, You’re still on the practice court, still practicing? I don’t know, there are always funny comments,” said Pegula.
Who is your favorite ATP player right now?
“But he’s been asking to hit with me a lot because he said the last time we were hitting, a little bit, he’s top 10, and he’s like, I need to get that back.
“Need to go back to what we were doing in Australia here a couple of years ago, when I was breaking into the top 10. So it is kind of funny.”
Frances Tiafoe’s year-end rankings
- 2014 – 1,145th
- 2015 – 176th
- 2016 – 108th
- 2017 – 79th
- 2018 – 39th
- 2019 – 47th
- 2020 – 59th
- 2021 – 38th
- 2022 – 19th
- 2023 – 16th
- 2024 – 18th
- 2025 – 30th
Pegula appreciates the way Tiafoe approaches tennis, but admits it’s not something she could do.
“It is so fun how he approaches the game. I mean, he’s able to be creative on court and have fun and be loose,” she said.
“I think that’s something that you can’t take away from him because that’s what makes him him.
“I wish I could be like that. Like, naturally, it’s not in me to be that way.
“I think that’s what makes all these athletes so different in how they approach and how they play the game.”
She did, however, suggest how Tiafoe could ‘dial things back’ to some degree.
“Frances [Tiafoe], maybe it’s not in him to be a super stable player, but when it comes to a big stage, he’s always going to put on a show. There’s definitely value in that, and that’s how he enjoys playing the game,” she said.
“Sometimes people say, like, he’s not taking it seriously or not doing this or that. But at the end of the day, it’s how he wants to play the game, it’s how he wants to enjoy it.
“I’m sure he can maybe be a little more focused sometimes or plan a little, be a little bit more prepared, something like that. But it’s such a fine line with not taking away who he is and what makes him so good.
“You don’t ever want to mess with that.
“You can dial things back and change a little bit, but at the end of the day, you kind of have to stay true to yourself; that’s how you’re going to play your best tennis.”
Tiafoe will certainly hope he can find his ‘best tennis’ at the Australian Open.
Who will Frances Tiafoe play at the 2026 Australian Open?
The American number six will play Jason Kubler in the first round of the Australian Open.
Tiafoe will walk on court as the favorite for that match, taking on the world number 192.
Things will get tougher from there on, though, as Tiafoe would need to produce several upsets if he wants to make a deep run Down Under.
Frances Tiafoe’s projected route to the title
- 1R – Jason Kubler
- 2R – Francisco Comesana
- 3R – [6] Alex de Minaur
- 4R – [10] Alexander Bublik
- QF – [1] Carlos Alcaraz
- SF – [3] Alexander Zverev
- F – [2] Jannik Sinner
Only time will tell if Tiafoe can ‘lock in’ and play well at the Australian Open, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Tiafoe will play his first-round match against Kubler on Sunday, January 18.
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