Some wins matter more than others, and their celebrations can sometimes go over the top. It’s just a telltale sign of how desperately the player was looking for a turning point in the season, and he might have achieved it. This same sentiment might have been witnessed at the Cincinnati Open, in the match between the Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti and Frances Tiafoe. But Tiafoe, who has recently established a great connection with tennis fans at the DC Open, ended up offending them as he tried a LeBron James pose to celebrate the win.

Defeating a seasoned player certainly calls for a strong celebration. Musetti has been trending in the circuit since his terrific match against Novak Djokovic at the Clay Courts of Paris. And then again on the Grass court of Wimbledon. Despite losing both encounters, the Italian tennis star gained popularity due to his spectacular game against the World No.2. And soon capped the season with an Olympic bronze medal. After withdrawing from the Canadian Open, Musetti entered the Cincinnati Open to prepare for the US Open.

However, he faced an early-round exit against the American tennis player. He ousted Musetti in straight sets to make it to the next round. Defeating Musetti might not be a big deal for Djokovic, or Carlos Alcaraz, but it is for Tiafoe. He has struggled to make it big since the beginning of the season. However, his celebration drew more than raised eyebrows from the fans.

Tiafoe made a “too small” gesture, which he borrowed from the NBA legend James. And this unsettled the basketball and some tennis fans. One tennis fan shared the controversial pose on his X account with the following caption:

This was all that the fans needed. What followed in response to the post was opening the lid of can of worms, as fans took harsh digs at the American tennis star, for emulating James pose for a R2 win!

Frances Tiafoe draws ire of tennis fans after his big celebration on R2 win at Cincinnati Open

It wasn’t the final, and Tiafoe wasn’t a legend already. The American is yet to make it to the finals of any Grand Slam. His best result came at the US Open 2022 when he made it to the semifinals. However, Alcaraz sent him home to make it to the finals. Moreover, this year hasn’t been generous to Tiafoe, as he struggled with injury and poor results on the court throughout the season.

This certainly makes the cause for both celebrations and raising eyebrows. Celebrations because Tiafoe might have overcome his weaknesses to claim this win. And flak because this is just an R2 win, in a tournament, which comes in the backdrop of an early exit from the Canadian Open. They said, “For a win over Musetti in the second round of the Cincinnati Open…..”

This led to fans preaching to the American tennis star to be humble, as he lost the fans by doing this. They said, “Only difference is one’s the best in the world, the other is having one of the worst seasons and gets cockier. @FTiafoe stay humble brother, losing fans by the day doing this🗑️.” After Rallying behind Tiafoe at the DC Open, tennis fans are disappointed in him.

Moreover, Musetti has had a great season. He produced his best Grand Slam results by making it to the semifinals at Wimbledon. Further won bronze at the Paris Olympics, while Tiafoe skipped the Olympics to prepare for the US Open, and participated in Atlanta Open 250. And tennis fans didn’t let this slide. As they said, “Where was Tiafoe when Musetti was winning Olympic medals? 🤔 Oh yeah, playing 250s and losing to “clowns”……🤡”

Another controversy that marred Tiafoe’s tennis journey was the fact that he called fellow tennis players “clowns” just a few weeks ago. Tiafoe opened up about his battles with his form and mental health last year. As a result, he lost to a lot of players, against whom he might have won easily. He said, “Literally this week last year I was 10 in the world and now I’m barely seeded here, losing to clowns, I mean…”

Losing and winning are a part of the game, not every day is a good day for some players. And tennis fans made sure to give his words back to him as they said, “Tiafoe, the same person who said he lost with clowns last year? We all see here who’s a clown Frances 😉.” Moreover, since last year, this is his only second top 20 win. And this tennis fan took a sarcastic dig at the Big Foe. He said, “27-26 since last year’s US Open with 2 top-20 wins but you do you, big man!!!”

It might have hurt the sentiments of tennis fans, who support Tiafoe but love and respect the NBA legend, LeBron James. Both the players are on different levels, one is considered a legendary player, while the other is struggling to make his mark. And these tennis fans don’t want to back out from supporting either player. And has only one thing to say, “One piece of Tiafoe lore that doesn’t involve him disrespecting his mates. One please”