Frances Tiafoe est en huitièmes de Roland-Garros. L'Américain, plus attendu sur surface rapide, montre qu'il peut briller aussi sur terre battue et aura un superbe coup à jouer contre Daniel Altmaier pour une place en quarts.
« Le tennis, partout & toujours ici », sur https://www.tennisactu.net / Tennis Actu
00:00BNP Paribas, partenaire des plus belles histoires de Roland Garros, aux côtés des ramasseurs de balles depuis plus de 50 ans.
00:30I was at the first sit, I was struggling on my serve, serving at a really low clip, a lot of second serves.
00:38And did a good job of just staying in there.
00:40I had some break points and some long games and just did a good job of staying in there,
00:43played a good breaker, got tested there at the end, and I feel like after the first,
00:48I really took off energy-wise.
00:50I thought that I started hitting the ball much better.
00:51I started returning much better, and things kind of get thrown in my way.
00:56et pas être dériqué.
00:58C'est toujours très bien.
01:00Hey Francis,
01:02c'est le French Open.
01:04Les Americans sont supposés
01:06de se mettre dans le mud,
01:08donc à ce qu'il y a quoi ?
01:10Nous sommes bien,
01:12on va bien,
01:14on va parler de ça.
01:16C'est ce que c'est la même chose.
01:18C'est ce que c'est,
01:20les gars sont confiants.
01:22Obviamente,
01:24nous n'avons pas les résultats.
01:26Je ne suis pas à la fin,
01:28mais je ne suis pas à la fin.
01:30Mais, comme je l'ai dit,
01:32les trois,
01:34il y a plus,
01:36c'est si vous êtes prêt à jouer,
01:38votre esprit est là,
01:40la game est open,
01:42rien ne peut se passer.
01:44Je pense que c'est super, super
01:46pas à ce que c'est,
01:48c'est ce que c'est.
01:50C'est parti, c'est parti,
01:52c'est parti.
01:54C'est parti.
01:56C'est parti.
01:58C'est parti.
02:00C'est parti.
02:02C'est parti.
02:04C'est parti.
02:06C'est parti.
02:08C'est parti.
02:10C'est parti.
02:12C'est parti.
02:14C'est parti.
02:16C'est parti.
02:18C'est parti.
02:20C'est parti.
02:22C'est parti.
02:24C'est parti.
02:26du monde.
02:27C'est parti.
02:40But tour de la Round de 16, no sets dropped.
02:45Yeah, c'est un bon effort.
02:46Bon effort pour me et pour l'autre de la ronde.
02:50Je veux dire, il y a tout de suite de l'air, man.
02:53Quand on est très loin, tu vois des guys,
02:55que tu vies bien, especially Ben, qui est un peu plus jeune.
02:57Mais, tu sais, t'en voisiné,
03:00je me souviens de la Round de 16.
03:02Je me souviens de jouer à 12 clay courts avec le gars,
03:05et maintenant on est en la Round de 16,
03:07la France Open est génial, c'est vrai.
03:08C'est un lot de fun, mais aussi, nous voulons continuer à continuer.
03:12Je pense que tout le monde a leurs propres goals et ce qu'ils veulent.
03:14Mais il n'y a pas de garantie, mais il n'y a pas de garantie.
03:17Il n'y a pas de garantie, mais il n'y a pas de garantie de nous
03:22d'aller deep dans les slams, mais il n'y a pas de garantie.
03:24Tu ne peux pas prendre ces moments pour granted.
03:26Donc, chaque fois que tu es venu ici, tu veux dire le plus que tu peux.
03:30Parce qu'il n'y a pas de teller que nous serons à l'arrivée de 16 ans.
03:34Je voulais te demander de quelqu'un que tu as connaissances plus tard que toi,
03:39qui est votre fréquence, que tu as connaissances depuis que tu as joues.
03:42Qu'est-ce que tu as pensées sur tonneau de tennis?
03:46Il s'est fait dans le troisième round de la France Open et en un autre rôle.
03:51Je suis juste de voir ce que tu penses de tonneau de tennis.
03:54Et tu as un acte de suivre en quelque sorte pour toi, en ce sens, pour toi.
03:58C'est incroyable, man.
03:59J'ai juste aimé voir ce que tu as joues heureux.
04:01Il est un peu plus grand.
04:03C'est un peu plus grand.
04:04C'est un peu plus grand.
04:05C'est un peu plus grand.
04:06Tu as joué une chose qui a fait un peu.
04:07C'est-ce que tu as connaissances plus grand.
04:10A Hailey Baptiste, c'est un peu plus grand.
04:12C'est une très bonne.
04:13La parole est à la robe de Montgomerie pour moi.
04:15C'est très hâte de faire pour moi.
04:16C'est difficile.
04:17Je ne peux pas avoir fait le troisième round.
04:19C'est difficile de voir ce qu'elle est.
04:24She's doing incredible to see Haley, believing in it, winning matches and winning matches
04:30and having Franklin there, you know, and then me be a part there at times and, you know,
04:34her asking for advice and, you know, you got to think, I mean, you know, three guys, you know,
04:39of color, you know, come from a little academy in Maryland to now, you know,
04:42we're playing the biggest matches in the world, playing for a ton of money, a ton of opportunity,
04:45you know, a lot of eyes on you and, you know, she looks up to us a lot and, you know,
04:49we're trying to just make sure she not only, you know, continues to be a great tennis player,
04:53but a great kid, you know, it's more important to be a great person and, you know,
04:56when you put good energy out, it always comes back.
04:59So, you know, she's learning that now and it's been amazing to watch her, man.
05:03I'm super proud of her and my brother.
05:07I'm super proud of him.
05:08You know, it's been an incredible journey for him.
05:12You said about a week ago, like, you know, your form wasn't great.
05:17You knew that coming in.
05:18Was there something this week, a moment, a game, a set, anything where you were like,
05:25oh, actually, I kind of feel good and stuff is possible here?
05:30Either, I mean, it may have been as soon, as recent as tonight,
05:33but maybe in round one or one, two, where you started to believe in yourself
05:37in a way that you hadn't necessarily believed in yourself in the last month or so?
05:42Well, I always believe in myself.
05:43It's a matter of...
05:44I didn't mean not believe in yourself, but believe that you had, your game was close.
05:49Yeah.
05:50For me, it's all about applying.
05:52Like, if I apply myself, then, you know, I can, you know, am I shocked at what I'm doing?
05:57No.
05:57Like, am I happy about it?
05:58Yeah.
05:59Because I know what I'm capable of.
06:01I know what I can do.
06:02I mean, to be honest with you, I snapped the racket in, like, probably Friday.
06:08I played on Sunday in practice, and I absolutely lost it.
06:12And I think that was critical for me.
06:14That was huge.
06:15And then I played horrendous in a practice set, got absolutely killed,
06:18and then put another practice set that same day, like, right after that,
06:22after I broke the racket and everything, down 3-0, find a way to win the set.
06:26That was critical for me because I, like, I've been losing all kinds of matches,
06:32and I kind of just was nonchalant about it, kind of holding the motions in,
06:36not really kind of letting guys know where I'm at, and I just kind of just lost it.
06:39And I think that was kind of big for me.
06:42In the sense of just having emotion and understanding, like, being like, yes, this sucks.
06:48Like, and actually, like, facing it rather than kind of being like, oh, like, you know, it's all right.
06:52Like, no, like, it sucks.
06:53You've been playing horrendous.
06:54Like, and I think that was big for me because then I finally actually addressed it
06:59and understood the why, and now I'm flying.
07:03Now I'm actually having fun again.
07:04I'm battling.
07:05I'm playing well.
07:06But sometimes adversity is good.
07:08I think a lot of times people look at adversity as a bad thing,
07:10but I think today was good, or that moment was good.
07:13Who were you playing practice?
07:14I was playing Ugo Carabelli.
07:17He beat me, like, 6-0 or 6-1, and I, man, I don't even want to curse on here,
07:21and I just folded the racket.
07:22Shout out Ugo, man.
07:27Just wondered how different it is when you get to this sort of stage at the U.S. Open.
07:31It's maybe for a lot of people kind of expected, taken for granted.
07:34There's expectation that you might go deeper.
07:35Do you know what I mean, though?
07:36Whereas here, maybe it's a bit more of a surprise.
07:38Like, how different is, I guess, like, the pressure you might be feeling there
07:41compared to now where maybe, no, it's not a bonus,
07:44but, you know, there aren't huge expectations or there weren't of you going in.
07:48It's just a different vibe.
07:49It's a different vibe.
07:50Like, it's more of, like, a low-key kind of thing.
07:52Like, the Open, like, there's just so much anticipation.
07:57There's so much energy.
08:00Here it's kind of, I guess, like, I just feel like in a workman type vibe.
08:02Like, obviously, you know, it's a lot of people.
08:05It's a French Open.
08:06It's a major.
08:06But there's nothing like the Open.
08:09The Open's a whole different kind of beast.
08:13And, obviously, I have expectations from y'all.
08:15You know, being American, I've had two semis, blah, blah, blah.
08:18I've made history.
08:19But this is a different vibe.
08:22I mean, this is easier in a sense where it's just like I can kind of just go and be me.
08:27There it's just like, you know, you got Ben.
08:30Are you going to be the next guy?
08:31I mean, I got, you know, my man over here.
08:32Are you going to be the next guy to do it?
08:33Like, it's kind of like it's different.
08:35Rather than hear every match that I win, it's like, oh, does it feel good to be in the fourth round?
08:38Well, yeah, I'll take those questions all day.
08:40So, it's just funny, man.
08:41It's funny.
08:43That's exactly what we sound like.
08:44I'm curious.
08:46Just to look back to Franklin.
08:47He was talking about early days when he was traveling on tour with you when you were first sort of starting to play.
08:52And he was going with you in a sort of a coaching type role he was describing.
08:56Like, or at least traveling partner with you.
08:59What would you see as him as a coach in those times?
09:01And I guess you alluded to some sort of everything he's been through.
09:04Like, what have you sort of seen as what he's had to overcome or work through to make a, to get a real foothold for himself at this sort of elite tennis level he's at now?
09:12Well, I think the biggest thing is being friends with Tiafoe's swim brother.
09:15I think kind of getting out of that.
09:16I mean, I think it was very, very tough.
09:17You know, he was kind of living in that shadow and kind of figuring out what, who he is, right, as an individual.
09:24And that was very tough.
09:25And, you know, a lot of limelight on me and him trying to find his own way.
09:29So, but in those moments when he was younger, man, there's not a guy who wants to see me do better.
09:33And, you know, he, there's, you know, when he, he's a very direct guy.
09:40And, you know, when he tells, when he tells you something, like, even if you don't want to hear it, you know, it's coming from love.
09:44And, you know, sometimes, you know, you do something that's like a high level.
09:48You got people around you.
09:49They may say what they want to say, but, you know, sugarcoat it a little bit because, you know, people worry about the gobs.
09:53It's that and the other.
09:54My brother, like, I can't get rid of my brother.
09:56Like, you know what I'm saying?
09:56Like, I mean, get in an argument, like, I mean, I got to see him later.
10:00Like, you know what I mean?
10:00Like, mom's like, yo, get y'all asses over here and figure this out.
10:03Like, you know what I mean?
10:04So, and I think, and I think that's the beauty of our relationship.
10:08And that was the beauty of early, early in my career, you know, going to some challengers and some other things with him.
10:14And him just pushing me and believing in me.
10:17I think that just took me to a whole nother level.
10:21He's like, look, man, you know, whatever you do, win, win, lose or draw, you know, I'm always going to love you.
10:25But, you know, the sky's the limit for you.
10:26And, you know, he just kind of exudes confidence in people that he's around because he's such a joy to be around.
10:33So, you know, I love my brother to death.
10:35So happy for him.
10:36And hopefully they can also join me in the fourth round.
10:39So, yeah, thanks for asking about him.
10:41It means a lot, man.
10:46Could you just talk about the key to the JTCC?
10:50Why so much success?
10:52It was the best academy in the world, or was.
10:56We just built a culture there, man.
11:00It kind of just really family oriented.
11:04You know, everybody kind of plays with everybody.
11:08I mean, when I was younger, I was playing with members, like old dudes, like, you know, from.
11:13And they still message me now.
11:15And, you know, I, you know, guys play with girls.
11:17And there's like everybody kind of, you know, rubs off everybody.
11:20Coaches is all the same kind of love.
11:22Like, you kind of get game from all the coaches.
11:24Like, obviously, you're a coach.
11:26But, like, I can hit up this coach and be like, yo, what do you see about my game?
11:29I still do, you know.
11:30So, everybody kind of just would show up for everybody.
11:35We all play together outside of the clinics.
11:39And I think the friendship, we're all so close.
11:42And it just helps you believe it.
11:43Like, you know, then I come through.
11:45You know, I was the first guy to come through.
11:47Haley's a little younger than me.
11:48She see me do it.
11:49She's like, oh, well, shit, I mean, maybe I can do it.
11:51Then Haley does it.
11:52And then Robin's like, oh, shit, well, you know, maybe I can do it.
11:54So, it's like, it's those kind of things, you know, where you rub your shoulders with people,
11:57you feel like you can believe it.
11:58But shout out to the coaches.
12:00You know, they worked as hard, but they allowed us to be us.
12:02They, you know, still disciplined in us.
12:04But they, you know, always told us you love the game first.
12:07Respect the game.
12:09You know, do it for the love of the game no matter what.
12:11And compete your hardest.
12:13So, yeah, we're truly blessed.
12:15And it's been amazing to see everybody from that club do well.
12:18So, hopefully we all can just keep going and keep writing the story.
