“Felt like one of the greatest” – Tiafoe recalls beating Nadal upon reaching US Open fourth round

American Frances Tiafoe recalled defeating 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the US Open in 2022. He reminisced about the victory after overcoming compatriot Ben Shelton in a thrilling third round match at the 2024 US Open on Friday.

No 20 seed Tiafoe recovered from one set down twice against Shelton at Arthur Ashe Stadium to complete a 4-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win after four hours of gruel battle. He broke Shelton five times and smashed 44 winners to secure 173 points out of the 331 played for.

In the process, Tiafoe confirmed his fifth consecutive last 16 appearance at the New York Major. His best campaigned at the US Open in the year 2022, when he reached as far as the semi-finals. That year, he notably defeated Rafael Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the final four.

In a press conference after the win over Shelton on Friday, Tiafoe reflected on his most successful campaign in Flushing Meadows.

“Well, the Carlos year, I mean, also beat Nadal during that time. It was tough, never been to the semis of a Slam. I felt like I was one of the greatest athletes in the world that time. I felt everyone was just loving me.”

Frances Tiafoe

This was Tiafoe’s third on-court meeting with Nadal. He previously played against the Spaniard in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and in the fourth round of the Madrid Masters, losing 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and 6-3, 6-4, respectively.

Since then, he has never come face to face with Nadal, who sat the majority of the 2023 season out nursing a hip injury.

During the same press conference, Tiafoe understandably regretted losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals and expressed his desire to play a final in New York.

“I would love to play a final, but it was such a great run that I wasn’t really that pissed about it. Just happy to be a part of that,” Tiafoe said.

Tiafoe is still three steps away from the summit clash of the 2024 US Open. His next challenge at the event in Novak Djokovic-slayer Alexei Popyrin, against whom he has no prior experience. However, the American seemed confident about his chances:

“I’m probably playing the best tennis of my life right now. He’s always been really talented. He’s starting to put it together. He’s been working really hard. He’s a great guy, great player. Obviously he’s going to be tough. You don’t expect anything easy at this point.”

Popyrin stunned Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in his third round effort on Friday.

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