MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

August 4, 2024

Frances Tiafoe

Press Conference

S. KORDA/F. Tiafoe

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Big picture, having advanced further than you have previously in this tournament, how do you balance that with the disappointment?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah, obviously it's tough. But it was a great week. I mean, I've only been trying to gain momentum, only been trying to get to the point where I'm winning matches consecutive. It's the first time I've won three matches in a row since Houston. That's obviously a really long time.

This is good. It was a really good week overall. You have to tip your cap sometimes. Seb played incredible tonight. Returned really well, served really well. I didn't really have many chances on his serve at all. He just put me under constant pressure. It was really tough for me tonight.

I didn't play bad by any means. I didn't play amazing. He played at a really high level and didn't blink really at all. Sometimes guys are too good.

Q. How did you feel tonight going into the match?

FRANCES TIAFOE: I felt good. Felt ready good. Other than a bad opening game for me to start the match, other than that I thought I played pretty well. I was pretty excited to come out here and try to give myself a chance to be in the final. Didn't happen.

Again, I feel closer and closer to hopefully winning here. I think it will definitely happen in the coming years. Every year I'm going to try to put it on the line, try to get it done.

A little unfortunate because I really thought this was the year. But hey man, it will happen. It will happen one time.

Q. The ability to put the matches consecutively together here, do you think you can use this as a springboard, Canada, Cincy?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Definitely. Especially last night. Such a big night for me last night beating Andrey. Even first two rounds, beating guys I'm supposed to beat in a tight fashion and not playing my best. Those are all really positive things. Ultimately a really positive woke for me.

I can't really complain. Just got to hold my head high and try to only take confidence from this and have a great week in Montreal.

Q. What made his serve so challenging today?

FRANCES TIAFOE: He was hitting a lot of spots. Served at a pretty high clip. I mean, also it was tough from a returning standpoint. I mean, I didn't put too much scoreboard pressure. He broke me first game in the first, early in the second, 2-All.

When you're returning at that point, you're trying to more make the returns. Even second serves maybe wasn't as aggressive as I'd like to, playing a little more safe. Even when I was playing more aggressive, he was fending off the second serve pretty well. He served at a high clip.

Q. What would you say was the best part of the week for you? You talked about stringing good matches together.

FRANCES TIAFOE: Just how mentally tough I was all week, how I battled all week. Even today, I battled till the end. I made him serve it out, close it out. Yeah, I mean, even when I wasn't playing my best, kind of kept going, stayed with it. Had guys serving for it, broke back. Just always kind of kept going to give myself a chance.

I think those are huge things. Seeing what has kind of happened, just keep going. That's probably the best thing, I stayed tough mentally the whole week.

Q. You've dealt with rain delays here since you were 16. What are some of the ways you deal with that?

FRANCES TIAFOE: Yeah, I mean, I don't mind it. I don't mind chilling around. It's all good. I would be (indiscernible) hanging. I have no problem with that.