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:

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”