Frances Tiafoe

[Damian]

Tiafoe Upsets Kecmanovic For Nur-Sultan Quarter-final Spot

Spoiler:

Millman, Paul also record wins

Frances Tiafoe powered into his second ATP Tour quarter-final of the year on Wednesday at the Astana Open. The 22-year-old American lost just five of his first-service points to upset second-seeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 6-3 in 81 minutes.

Tiafoe, who also reached the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com last eight (l. to Humbert) in February, lost four points on serve in the second set. Kecmanovic captured his first ATP Tour title last month at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel (d. Hanfmann).

Tiafoe will next play Belarusian Egor Gerasimov, who avenged his 2020 Tata Open Maharashtra final loss to Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic with hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over in one hour and 50 minutes. Gerasimov struck 14 aces for a place in his second ATP Tour quarter-final of the season (also Open 13 Provence in February).

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Elsewhere, one break of serve in each set was enough for fourth-seeded Australian John Millman in a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Fernando Verdasco of Spain. In the Nur-Sultan quarter-finals, Millman now challenges American Tommy Paul, the seventh seed, who swept past Radu Albot of Moldova 6-4, 6-0 in 72 minutes.

In first-round action, Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin dug deep to overcome Federico Delbonis 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 33 minutes. Kukushkin, who had led 5/3 in the first set tie-break, now faces top-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire.

American Mackenzie McDonald knocked out sixth-seeded Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-2 in 72 minutes for a second-round clash against wild card Andreas Seppi of Italy. Bublik has beaten McDonald 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 in the recent St. Petersburg Open first round.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/tiafoe- ... -wednesday

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Tiafoe Moves Into Nur-Sultan Semi-finals

Spoiler:

Frances Tiafoe booked a place in his first ATP Tour semi-final for two-and-a-half years on Friday at the Astana Open, an ATP 250 tournament in Nur-Sultan.

The 22-year-old American improved to 9-10 on the season with a hard-fought 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-5 victory over Egor Gerasimov of Belarus in two hours and 35 minutes. Tiafoe last reached a tour-level semi-final (or better) en route to the Millennium Estoril Open final in May 2018.

Earlier this month, Tiafoe lifted the fifth ATP Challenger Tour trophy of his career at the Internazionali di Tennis Emilia Romagna in Parma (d. Caruso).

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Tiafoe will next meet fourth-seeded Australian John Millman, who completed a remarkable comeback to advance to his first ATP Tour semi-final since October 2019, when he reached the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships final (l. to Djokovic).

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mannari ... 020-friday

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

2020 w liczbach:

Ranking: 59
Bilans meczów: 9-11
Tytuły: 0
Finały: 0
Zarobki: $513,652

[Damian]

"Roger Federer to me is the most perfect guy in the world & I bet some people don't like him" - Frances Tiafoe

Spoiler:

Frances Tiafoe cited the example of Roger Federer to point out that you can't please everybody.
Tiafoe also said he was inspired by the Williams sisters to take a stand against racial injustice.
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American tennis player Frances Tiafoe believes Roger Federer is the best example of why you shouldn't try to please everybody, and instead should express your own opinion.

Tiafoe claimed that the 20-time Grand Slam champion is a 'perfect person', but even someone like him has critics - which suggests there's just no winning against some people.

"Real recognises real," Tiafoe said. "Roger Federer to me is the most perfect guy in the world and I bet some people don't like him.""You can't please everybody and you kind of move with that energy. You do things that are right and these people are doing things that are right and they can sleep well at night knowing that. Some people are going to love it, some people are going to hate it, you've just got to swallow it."
Tiafoe, ranked No. 59 in the world, made the comments in a recent interview with Sky Sports. During the interaction he also revealed that he was inspired to take a stand against racial injustice by Venus and Serena Williams.

The American had created a widely shared video earlier this year amid the Black Lives Matter movement, which featured several tennis stars - including the Williams sisters, Naomi Osaka, Gael Monfils, Sloane Stephens and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.


Roger Federer unsure about about being fit for Australian Open 2021
On Sunday, Roger Federer was named the Best Swiss Sportsperson of the last 70 years at an awards function in Zurich. But during his interaction with the media at the ceremony, the 39-year-old expressed doubt about his participation at the upcoming Australian Open.

Federer suggested that he may not be ready in time for the first Grand Slam of the 2021 calendar, which came as a blow to his fans everywhere.

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Roger Federer at the Australian Open
Roger Federer at the Australian Open
The 39-year-old also revealed his focus would be on the major events in the second half of the season - Wimbledon, the US Open and the Tokyo Olympics.

As per a translation reported by the Swiss media outlet SRF, Federer is not yet 100% fit yet but he is satisfied with his current progress.

"I would have hoped that I would be at 100% by October. But I still am not today. It will be tight for the Australian Open. I wish I was further along, but at the same time I'm satisfied with where I am at the moment," Roger Federer is reported to have said.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news ... tennispage

[arti]

2020 ATP Awards Winners

Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award

Frances Tiafoe: Rising American star Tiafoe made a big impact off the court during a turbulent 2020 season, using his platform to the fullest during the ATP Tour’s five-month suspension. Tiafoe, who supports ThanksUSA and the USTA’s National Junior Tennis and Learning Network (NJTL), auctioned off signed memorabilia to Athletes for COVID-19 Relief, with the funds benefiting the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Alongside girlfriend and fellow player Ayan Broomfield, Tiafoe also posted ‘Racquets Down, Hands Up’, an impactful video that united the Black tennis community in the wake of George Floyd’s killing, featuring cameos from Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, James Blake, Gael Monfils and more.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-awa ... -announced

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Frances Tiafoe: My Letter To Arthur Ashe

Spoiler:

The 22-year-old, who won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in the 2020 ATP Awards, pens a letter to Ashe
Dear Arthur,

I did not have much growing up. My parents are both immigrants from Sierra Leone. My dad was a janitor at a tennis facility in Maryland, and I was lucky to be around the sport from a young age, even if I did not have the money or opportunities a lot of other kids did. None of that stopped me from dreaming big. I pushed myself to the limit every day with a big smile on my face.

Here I am, 22 years old, and I just found out that I won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. That little kid with big dreams now has his name associated with yours. That is insane.

But I know this is not just an award. It is a tremendous honor and a massive responsibility. I am not just that smiley kid on the rise anymore. I know I need to carry the torch and make a difference in the world.

This year my girlfriend and I made a video called, “Racquets Down, Hands Up” to try to spread awareness about unjust deaths of African-Americans in the United States. We were able to get a lot of Black tennis players involved, from Serena Williams and Coco Gauff to Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

I wanted people to know that everybody matters. It does not matter who you are, where you come from or what the color of your skin is. Everybody has the opportunity to be something special. I was one of those kids who did not have a great chance of making it this far. Winning this award is just a reminder that now that I’m here, I need to pay it forward and help the next generation.

<a href='/en/players/frances-tiafoe/td51/overview'>Frances Tiafoe</a>

I wasn’t lucky enough to be around when you were doing your thing, but I know you were so much bigger than tennis. Honestly, you could have been the President! Something you once said always sticks with me: “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.”

I mean damn, that is deep. Nothing you ever did was about you. You were just trying to be a person first and an athlete second. It was always about helping others. That is truly inspirational.

One of the craziest things about you is that everyone knows all the work you put in to make the world a better place. But you won Grand Slams, bro! I wish I could just pick your brain to find out how you were able to be as successful as you were on court while still being a great humanitarian.

I know balancing both is not easy, especially with eyes on you. One of the biggest things I have learned is you cannot try to achieve other people’s expectations. You just have to strive to be the best version of yourself and be your own biggest critic. I think that helps me be comfortable in my own skin. I know I’m giving it my all on and off the court.

In the grand scheme of things, I know there’s a clock on my career. I cannot play at the highest level forever, but I will be living for many, many years once I hang up my racquets. It sucks you are not here anymore and I was not able to meet you, but rest easy man. You are still making an impact.

That is why I know it is important to have goals outside of sports, too. We are not just athletes. We are human beings. There is more outside of tennis. I really believe in the past couple years I have found my purpose.

I realised I was lucky enough to set up my family financially. I started thinking: I know I am set, and my family is good. But isn’t life about more than that? What about those kids who are where I was not that long ago?

Ten years ago I thought it would be amazing just to see the stadium they named after you at the US Open. To even walk into Arthur Ashe Stadium would have been amazing for me back then, forget playing there and competing at the highest level. I remember getting a little watery in 2014 when I got to play at Madison Square Garden. I was a 16-year-old kid from College Park, Maryland, the son of two immigrant parents warming up the World’s Most Famous Arena for Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Remember how nuts it was when you played John McEnroe there? It is still crazy.

<a href='/en/players/frances-tiafoe/td51/overview'>Frances Tiafoe</a> upsets <a href='/en/players/kevin-anderson/a678/overview'>Kevin Anderson</a> at the <a href='/en/tournaments/australian-open/580/overview'>Australian Open</a>

Two years ago I made the Australian Open quarter-finals and did LeBron James’ celebration. The guy is one of the best basketball players ever and he commented on my Instagram. I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ Isn’t that crazy? He’s a childhood hero and he knows who I am! Those things inspire me. I have had little kids come up to me and say they want to be like Frances Tiafoe. That blows me away every time.

But that’s why it’s about more than just setting up my family for life. What about those kids? I want to help them write their stories right the first time. If there are kids out there who do not think they can achieve their dreams, I want to change that. I really believe success is in everyone. I want to paint a picture for them that they did not know was possible. I want to help them make that a reality.

You showed so many of us the way, and now I want to pay it forward. I want to help these kids understand that they need to find their passion and just go absolutely crazy and be obsessed with it. I found mine and I get to live my dream every day.

Most importantly I want them to be good people first. You always treated everybody well and with respect. I want to keep passing that down through the generations. If years down the road people say Frances Tiafoe was a hell of a person first and an athlete second, I will be really happy.

Obviously, I want people to remember me as a great tennis player, too. I do not want to be one of those guys who was just a good tennis player and was forgotten. I want to have the whole package, on and off the court. I was lucky enough to have people like you prove that it is possible.

I know I have to keep working every day. I have been lucky enough to make a living. Now, it is time to make a life. You did more than your share for the world. I promise I will always do mine.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/frances ... she-letter

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Tiafoe Outlasts Fratangelo For Delray Beach QF Spot

Spoiler:

American awaits winner of Norrie vs No. 3 seed Mannarino
Eighth-seeded Frances Tiafoe booked his first quarter-final spot of the year at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com on Sunday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over the tricky Bjorn Fratangelo.

The 22-year-old American came into the match after scoring a comfortable straight sets win in his opener against Donald Young. But he trailed Fratangelo 1-3 in their ATP Head2Head series, though they hadn’t met since 2016.

Tiafoe had to find a way through after a sluggish start against his countryman, who is ranked No. 274 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He struggled to connect on the first serve in the opening set, and was broken first as Fratangelo took a 4-2 lead.

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The eighth seed stayed solid and dialed up the aggression to take back control of the set, breaking straight back before reeling off the last four games to close it out 6-4. But he couldn’t keep up the level in the second set, and Frantangelo pounced on the lone break opportunity at 4-2 to take the match into a deciding set.

“I told myself to swing at the ball,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “I was pretty tentative in the first two sets. Even though I won the first set, I was behind the baseline a lot and he was running a lot of balls down. But then I freed up a little bit, and then it worked out.”

Tiafoe roared back to life early on as he took a 2-0 lead after highlight-reel worthy, court-covering rallies to earn the first break. With the momentum on his side, Tiafoe found another level to win four of the next five games and seal his spot in the quarter-finals.

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He will take on Cameron Norrie in the next round, after the British player upset third-seeded Adrian Mannarino in straight sets, 6-2 7-5. Norrie got off to a quick start with a double break to take the first set, but he was tested as the Frenchman began his comeback.

Mannarino led 3-0 in the second set, and was closing in on pushing for a third before Norrie halted his momentum, levelling at 3-3. The Brit emerged victorious after reeling off the last three games to book his quarter-final berth.

“That second set was a battle. There were some really long rallies, a lot of running. It was good to scrape through that,” Norrie said. “I think I feel more comfortable as the week’s gone on. I’m pleased with where my game’s at.”

Earlier in the day, Ecuadorian qualifier Roberto Quiroz toppled 2015 champion Ivo Karlovic, 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first ATP Tour quarter-final. The lefty won his fourth match of the year after breaking the booming Karlovic serve three times en route to victory. He will face fourth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in the last eight.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/tiafoe- ... 021-sunday

[Damian]

[Lucas]

[Barty]

Ale on już stary jest, jak na ten syf, co pokazuje.

[Lucas]