Frances Tiafoe‘s 2024 season hasn’t turned out as expected. He began with the Australian Open, where he couldn’t do much and got eliminated soon. His efforts at the Dallas Open and Delray Beach Open were commendable, reaching the QF and SF rounds, respectively. But they weren’t sufficient to win him a title. It remained the case for the entirety of 2024. Although he shined at the US Open, the World No.18 failed to clinch his first major at the Flushing Meadows. But all’s not lost yet, according to a former British WTA player.

Despite most of his season not going his way, Frances Tiafoe didn’t stop in pushing himself. A proof of it was witnessed during the second half of the year in the US Open where he reached the SF round. Until the encounter with Taylor Fritz, Tiafoe looked convinced to make it into the title clash. “I thought I was the better player for sure tonight,” he said in a post-match conference after losing to Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6.

While reflecting on the American’s 2024 journey, ex-WTA pro Laura Robson expressed her honest opinions. According to her, he’s still capable of making an impact. “I would give a shout out to Tiafoe. I think some of your Home Grand Slam, when he’s not had a great year otherwise, was pretty good. And the way he was able to lock in those two weeks,” she said in an episode of the Sky Sports Tennis podcast, dated December 9.

“I hope we see it more often. I hope we see that mentality from him more often,” added Laura. She wanted to imply that the spirit Tiafoe showed at the US Open was something he should carry forward in 2025, too. For the unversed, the 26-year-old did manage to reach the semis of the year-end Grand Slam in 2022 as well. Two years ago, Carlos Alcaraz beat him 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 and later went on to win his first major, defeating Casper Ruud in the final.

But despite their on-court rivalry, Frances and Carlos seem to be good friends. It becomes evident from their honest feelings for each other shared recently.

Carlos Alcaraz reveals his true feelings for rival Frances Tiafoe

Both the players gave a cheerful moment to the crowd during their appearance at the Charlotte Invitational press conference. There was a clear banter between them. That’s when Alcaraz shared his unfiltered thoughts about the American. “We hate each other,” he said while showing a grin on his face. “I couldn’t agree more,” Tiafoe chimed in without wasting a second.

Expanding on his response, Alcaraz said, “I think we have a really good relationship of the core. You know when we play on the court, we have huge request to each other. And I think that’s great for tennis and for the competition.” On the other hand, Frances Tiafoe also agreed with the Spaniard.

He said, “Yeah, no, I agree. I mean, I think we’ve had some great battles. Obviously, we get along really well. He copies all the restaurants I go to. I run into him in a restaurant once in a tournament for sure. So that’s obviously pretty funny. But yeah, I mean, it’s been great, and he’s a hell of a player and will continue for a long time.”

Now that the year is almost on the verge of its culmination, Frances would like to focus on the next season. The new year will begin with the Australian Open in January. The young American will look to perform better this time at the major after. In 2024, he exited out of the event in just the second round. Do you think he will come out strongly in 2025? Let us know in the comments below.