THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2023

Frances Tiafoe

Press Conference

F. TIAFOE/D. Stricker

7-6, 6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I'm wondering if there is an element of your game that you're most proud of over the past year that you have worked on, developed, anything like that?

FRANCES TIAFOE: My serve. My serve is the biggest difference. Just getting myself out of trouble. Ace counts high. Sometimes my percentage is not high but ace count's always been pretty good. That's been something that's been helping me a lot. From the ground I've always felt pretty comfortable.

But, yeah, my serve is definitely paying dividends and it's helped me a lot. Continue to serve well and I'll be all right.

Q. One or two things or was it that easy to tweak it?

FRANCES TIAFOE: It's a constant thing. I don't know how I'm going to serve each and every day. It's a constant thing. Just try to mimic the same thing.

It's the one shot you have over control over. Wayne has helped me a ton with that. Trying new things and still tweaking stuff as the tournament is going on. It can always get better.

Q. What's your post-match routine? You finished around the same time last couple of days. What happens right after, when do you eat, what's your schedule like when you get back and wind down, and when are you finally turning out a light?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah, just, I mean, come off the court -- I don't know if you want play by play.

Q. Yeah, play by play. Makes me curious, there is a lot going on. Would be interesting to hear like how do you...

FRANCES TIAFOE: Come off the court, sign some autographs, try to get out of here. Go inside, get on the bike, talk to the team about the match, get a protein shake, talk about the match for a little bit, crack some jokes, get a good stretch. Then I'm supposed to be hurrying up and go to press but I'm usually in the locker room talking bullshit. Then shower, then come here, talk to y'all.

Try to leave. Then just get back, order some food. Do some treatment. Watch some TV, put some Netflix on. It's not a real secret.

Everyone goes about it different, but I think that's pretty standard stuff.

Q. Is there a time you want to get to sleep by?

FRANCES TIAFOE: I mean, depends. The day, the day kind of puts that in play. I mean, I don't even know what time it is right now. I don't play tomorrow, so I can sleep in a little bit. There's no rush.

But my girlfriend is here. I'll go to sleep at a decent time. She doesn't allow me to be on my phone or talk so much. She helps me a ton. I'll go to sleep at a reasonable time, for sure.

Q. On the match today, congrats. The first set was quite tight. I feel like you kind of upped your level in second and third. How do you feel you played overall today?

FRANCES TIAFOE: I didn't play great in the first set. I didn't play great in the first set at all. I thought I served well.

But, I mean, he was tough. He was really ripping the ball. It's hard when you haven't played a guy. I didn't have much to really scout with him, as well. It was hard. But he had a great serve.

First it's one of those things you can get out of there, got out of there, and then after that, I was like, yeah, I'm gonna run away with this.

I got some breaks, I got two breaks in the third. Just carried on. I think that first set was huge. I loosened up a lot. I started swinging more out on the ball, moving him around a bit more.

But yeah, it's tough. I don't want to be out there playing longer matches if I don't have to. Those first sets are huge for me.

Yeah, I think that's what it was.

Q. Going into your next round, it's either Ivashka or Dimitrov.

FRANCES TIAFOE: Dimitrov won already.

Q. Any thoughts on Dimitrov? You played him in Australia.

FRANCES TIAFOE: Haven't played him since Australian Open. That was an absolute war. We get along really well. He's super talented as well. He's made semifinals here. It's going to be a good match.

Now is when it starts getting interesting. Everybody is good. Everyone is tough. You start playing the best players in the world. This is where it gets fun.

Yeah, this is where I really get excited and really want to play. Yeah, I mean, two talented guys going at it. See what happens.

Q. What is it specifically about his game that you find most challenging for you and what do you have to do to beat him?

FRANCES TIAFOE: I mean, he's got a very good first serve when he's in good service rhythm. Obviously great forehand. He's really skilled. He can come to the net, he's got a great slice.

I haven't played him in so long, so I don't really know what's so challenging about his game. He has all the shots. We'll see. I'm going to have to take care of my service games and just keep scoreboard pressure on him and see what happens.

Q. What joy or satisfaction do you take from the effect your charisma has on fans, both here at the matches and also watching from afar?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah, it's pretty cool. I mean, it definitely means a lot for a guy like me.

It really has been noticeable the last eight, nine months. Every match I play, doesn't matter what court, everyone is excited. As soon as I get to the coin toss, everyone is just so excited. It's cool. As soon as I start getting amped up and get on a run, the crowd is really behind me. I feel like it's pretty one-sided honestly, once I'm out there playing, especially playing well.

As soon as I smile, the crowd erupts. It's crazy, but it's cool. I mean, I guess it's a blessing, and hopefully they like me for the next 10-plus years while I keep playing.

Q. Novak has talked about in the tiebreakers, trying to be really present. Obviously he plays them as well as anybody does. You had that run last year in tiebreakers, I think it was at the Open.

FRANCES TIAFOE: Don't jinx me, Bro. Don't be doing all that. You're talking about breakers, don't jinx me.

Q. What is your sort of MO when the set goes to a tiebreaker, anything that goes through your head or that you're thinking of?

FRANCES TIAFOE: You better win the breaker (smiling).

The biggest thing is try to serve well. If you can get free points obviously that puts a lot of pressure on guys. Serving well is huge.

I remember all those breakers at the Open, I was having at least two, three aces a breaker, where you don't have to play a rally or anything like that. Just one shot and done.

I think high-percentage first serve helps in a breaker, especially on grass.

It's good being tough, being clutch, you've got to back yourself. Like even when down and out, it doesn't take much to sneak out of a breaker.

He had it there at the end. He blinked and I had a great forehand pass at 11-all, and by the time you know it, I'm serving for it 12-11 and the breaker is over, and the match just flies on your side.

You've just got to be aggressive and live and die with the punches.

Q. I feel like everything we are asking, I don't know, it's natural, it's just what I do, whatever. How do you get to a place where clearly your game and your routine is so much based off of feel? How do you get to the place where you feel prepared enough to do that? Where is the balance you strike in that?

FRANCES TIAFOE: I just trust the work that I've done. I've put the work in, you know. Like when I go out there, it seems like it's all easygoing and Frances is having time, but nobody sees what I do in the dark. I work super hard. I go about it different but I have fun. I enjoy tennis, I enjoy playing. I just have fun playing tennis.

I work super hard, so when I come out here and discuss what I've done and kind of just take every day how it goes.

I mean, it's Wimbledon. Like it's already stressful enough. Everyone has expectations like people put expectations on you, everyone has expectations for themselves and the crowd and whatever.

I'm not going to be here like be a robot. This is not who I am. I'm just going to have fun. Once I get out there, continue to have fun and compete at a high level. That's pretty much it.

I feel like guys feel like they have to be the same way 24/7. It's a two-week event. You've got to be able to switch it off and be you. That's just how I go about it, but everybody is different.

Q. Did you end up getting the Travis shoes?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Still haven't gotten them, Bro. He's performing here on Saturday, I think. His manager keeps saying, Yeah, it's coming, yeah, it's coming.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're gonna see. Actually reminds me, I'm gonna text his manager and see what happens.

Yeah, no, this is all good fun. It's just funny. Yeah, I'm excited. That's definitely my guy. It's cool that he's out here.

Q. It was more virtually? You were not there actually in person?

FRANCES TIAFOE: It wasn't even a real FaceTime. I had his number, but it wasn't a real FaceTime. I did a video, and then they acted like I FaceTimed them. Technology nowadays, right?

Funny. Like all my friends, Were you with Travis's number?

Yeah, that video came out super clean. I haven't seen Johnny Mac yet. His clout went to a whole other level after that. Yeah, it was unbelievable what they were able to do. I thought it came out really cool. Very creative.

Yeah, I really don't know how I was a part of it, to be honest with you. They asked me, and I was, Yeah. I'm not going to say no. It was pretty cool, pretty cool.