Frances Tiafoe has been one of those enigmas wrapped in a mystery for much of his career. The mystery, of course: how to find the consistency that always seemed to be missing from his otherwise brilliant, showstopping game.
There have been moments, and plenty of them, of brilliance. But in the end, always the general feeling that he hasn’t found a way to make the most of his opportunities, and hasn’t given himself enough bites of the apple, especially when we look at the talent he possesses.
After a very difficult 2025, Tiafoe, egged on by his team, has taken a hard look in the mirror. He talked about it openly with Ben Rothenberg of Bounces ahead of his Australian Open campaign.
“Immediately after the U.S. Open I had a very serious conversation with my girlfriend and my two agents,” Tiafoe said. “It’s one of those things where you’re not really even saying anything; you’re just getting cooked and you’ve kind of got to take it. And don’t argue it, don’t try to fight it—that’s kind of what it was.”
Though he didn’t delve into the issues that led to his hard look in the mirror, 27-year-old Tiafoe did indicate that he has done a deep dive at his misdeeds and has emerged with a better idea of what he needs to do to reach his lofty goals.
“It was like: you’re either doing it or you’re not, right? Let’s stop making excuses, stop doing this and that. You’re either doing it or you’re not—and it definitely hit home. Hence why I just kind of went dark [at the end of last year]: trying to figure out what that looked like. Now I’ve got a bunch of clarity and feel ready to go.”
Tiafoe, who has linked up with Dr. Mark Kovacs, a renowned performance coach, and will be with him throughout the Australian Open. Last year he parted ways with David Witt, who had guided him for about a year after he parted with his longtime coach Wayne Ferreira.
34th-ranked Tiafoe (seeded No.29) will ace Aussie Jason Kubler on Day 1 at the Australian Open.
