“It’s really tough to swallow,” Frances Tiafoe stated after losing to Taylor Fritz in the US Open semifinal. It was his third semi-final exit of the season, while in New York, it was his second time his dream crashed in the 2022 US Open. Unable to bear the heartbreaking loss, Tiafoe’s racquet suffered the consequences as he threw it away after the last shot. His defeat has left fans and pundits searching for answers, as the 26-year-old finally confronted the demons that derailed his quest for victory!

Tiafoe couldn’t keep up with his compatriot’s dominance, ending the five-set match in Fritz’s favor. Stating the reason behind his downfall during a post-match interview with the US Open, the World No. 20 shared his thoughts, saying, “This one’s gonna hurt really bad. I thought I was a better player for sure tonight but then in the fourth, I had some in-and-out cramps. It felt like my body shut down on me and I don’t know like probably had a lot to do with the nerves. I was not tired at all just about to get into the final you know.“

The Cincinnati Masters runner-up succeeded in claiming the opening set but couldn’t continue to do the same in the second set (4-6, 7-5). And after a third-set win by Tiafoe, Fritz turned his game around when the match was 4-4 in the fourth set. While Fritz denied giving in, Tiafoe’s skills started to betray him. A crucial double fault in the fifth set resulted in a score of 4-0, and Tiafoe chucked his racquet in frustration.

Although Fritz had a double fault of his own in the next game, he broke back and closed out the match. The duo shared a heartfelt embrace at the net. “It wasn’t meant to be,” the American, who had his 13th loss in a five-setter match since 2015, declared after the match. 

He compared how he was the closest to winning the match in his last semi-final appearance, but his “unbelievable“ position in the match this year made him question and perhaps blame the large frequency of matches that he played in a short time. Further explaining, the American, who played in eight back-to-back tournaments since June, said, “And I haven’t played that many matches all year like that I mean but ultimately I think nerves got the better of me tonight and yeah, kind of just went down.“

Further referring to the early exits of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, Tiafoe added, “It is a similar thing with Alcaraz, Novak..the kind of the same thing, I just couldn’t really move,” and concluded by wishing Fritz the best for his upcoming final match. The former World No. 5, Fritz also shared his honest opinion on Tiafoe’s level and the entire match.

Fritz on how Frances Tiafoe’s “overwhelming” game affected him

For Frances Tiafoe’s opponent, Fritz, it was his seventh victory against Tiafoe and a “dream come true” moment in New York. The American players who have known each other since they were younger than 14 have always appreciated each other’s games.

Therefore, after reaching the first grand slam final of his career and becoming the first American man to reach a grand slam stage since 2009, Fritz couldn’t help but appreciate his opponent’s game, “He was overwhelming from the baseline so much … and I just tried to tell myself to stay in it and fight.“ 

He further added, “I told myself that if I didn’t give it absolutely everything I had—to just stick with it and see if his level might drop a little bit—then I was going to regret it for a long time.” If he manages to win, Fritz would be the first man to win the US Open title since 2003! While Fritz “can’t wait,” to go forward, Tiafoe will undoubtedly work on building his endurance in mental toughness to come back stronger than ever.