Latest / Bleacher Report / Frances Tiafoe Reacts to Advancing to Quarterfinals & American Players’ Success _ 2025 Roland-Garros

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Frances Tiafoe Reacts to Advancing to Quarterfinals & American Players’ Success _ 2025 Roland-Garros · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A lot of respect between those two young stars.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Why don't we check out the American Francis Tiafo against
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: the German Altmire.
• 0:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Big Foe has been on an absolute tear here
• 0:09
  Speaker 3: in Paris, playing some of the best ball we've seen
• 0:11
  Speaker 3: from him in a long time. He has been so
• 0:15
  Speaker 3: dominant on serf. Came into this match had only been
• 0:18
  Speaker 3: broken once, got broken a few times in this match,
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: but was able to regroup when he needed it. He
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: played some all court tennis on this red play, looked
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: to finish a bunch of points at the net, missed
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: one there, but ended up at the end of the
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: match being thirty of thirty seven in net points one
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: so at such a high percentage, he was forcing the
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: issue being ultra aggressive on seconds of returns. You can
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: see the frustration from the Germans starting to boil over.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Altmayer had a bit of.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: An opportunity in this third set.
• 0:49
  Speaker 4: Francis had a.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Bit of a lapse mentally, he was able to regroup.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: All my actually served for the third set.
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: Francis came back battle and played a phenomenal type record
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: the form that we're saying President Tiafo's early reminiscent of
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: that twenty twenty two US Open where he really kind
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: of showcased a.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Lot of aggressive play.
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: He went seven to zero in time breakers back in
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty two at the Open. He played a pretty
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: perfect time breaker here and all around was just a
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: good day at the office. Still has yet to drop
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: a set in this tournament.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: He's gonna look to continue.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: That form as he advances to his first Roland Garrels quarterfinal,
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: his first.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Major quarterfinal off of a hard court. He went, he
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: got ready, and then two or three hours later he
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: joined us on the desk for a very converse.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Fun conversation.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: We got big Foe from the DMV on TNT and
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: he didn't drop any set.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Big poo in a building.
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: Wow, Wow, Wow, we got the guy right here.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: He is the first American to make the quarterfinals without
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: dropping a set. Have you already heard this since Andre
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: I can see in nineteen ninety five. How does that
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: sound to you right now?
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: It's a pretty crazy stet.
• 2:06
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I just I just heard that, and
• 2:10
  Speaker 5: I'm pretty talked about it.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: But again, I want to keep going.
• 2:14
  Speaker 5: As great as that is, it's still a big opportunity
• 2:18
  Speaker 5: out here.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: I just want to keep going worried about that.
• 2:21
  Speaker 5: I'll definitely give Andre a text and be like, I guess,
• 2:23
  Speaker 5: I guess we're boys now.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's thirty years.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: That is crazy, really, it's crazy, unbelievable.
• 2:30
  Speaker 6: All these guys are going to hype you up, but
• 2:31
  Speaker 6: as your big sister, I got to bring it out.
• 2:33
  Speaker 6: What in the world took you song? This was like
• 2:35
  Speaker 6: three hours ago, you were done with your match. What
• 2:37
  Speaker 6: took you so long to get out here? I mean
• 2:39
  Speaker 6: you're getting pretty and getting a clean shade for us? Like,
• 2:42
  Speaker 6: what is I mean?
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: That's that?
• 2:43
  Speaker 6: Jill Serena didn't even take this long?
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Come on, man, I.
• 2:50
  Speaker 5: Had to shower this wise mad obviously floss a little bit,
• 2:52
  Speaker 5: so it was I can smell the minty to take
• 2:57
  Speaker 5: a little bit.
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: You've been holding serve this week an incredible rate, know
• 3:01
  Speaker 4: you know serve bop, but this week you are Yeah,
• 3:04
  Speaker 4: today you're throwing an underhand serve.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: You miss it.
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: Later on in the match you down breakpoint, you tried.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Again, you miss it.
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: Was that a tactical thing that you were bringing to
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: the match today because your opponent was standing so far
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: back or you just like you know what, why not try.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: It underhand serve the fourth round of the French Chop.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: A tactical thing would have been to make it.
• 3:26
  Speaker 5: But I mean like the first one, the first one, yeah,
• 3:29
  Speaker 5: the second one. Honestly, it just happened like I was
• 3:31
  Speaker 5: like down break point. I was like, man, he's so
• 3:34
  Speaker 5: far back. I've hit the tee and he's like, hit
• 3:36
  Speaker 5: this slow, deep slice. I was like, maybe I can
• 3:38
  Speaker 5: get a quick point. And then once at the ground,
• 3:40
  Speaker 5: I was like, well that's great and it ain't get
• 3:43
  Speaker 5: broken anyways. But it really does work, and I do
• 3:46
  Speaker 5: practice sometimes, but yeah, today the execution was horrible.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: After your third round.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: You spoke with Mary Joe and you talked about how
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: you're trying to be a lot more aggressive. The match
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: that I saw today resembled that Francis twenty twenty two
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: US Open run where you were taking everything, hitting it
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: coming in.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: You were looking for any opportunity to get to the net.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: Today you were thirty of thirty seven points, one at
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: the net with a high fourhand volley that you never miss,
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: with a couple overheads, and I'm sure you wish you
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: could take back. So we're probably looking at around thirty
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: four thirty five points out of thirty seven at the net,
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: What is making you so comfortable coming forward on this
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: service of particular?
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: We know you're good on grass and coming forward.
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: We know you're good on hardcore, but the clay can
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: make things a bit more difficult.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: What's happened all of a sudden?
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: Why are you finding yourself so comfortable in the fore
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: court on the clay?
• 4:31
  Speaker 5: I think no one does it, so everyone's kind of
• 4:33
  Speaker 5: expecting me to hang back and do it.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: And I was talking to the guys.
• 4:38
  Speaker 5: I was like, look, the grasscourt seasons right around the corner,
• 4:40
  Speaker 5: so I was like, I'm just gonna start prepping for that.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: And it's working.
• 4:46
  Speaker 5: I mean guys don't really They kind of panic like
• 4:48
  Speaker 5: why is this guy coming in on clay?
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Like why am I you feeling so much on clay?
• 4:51
  Speaker 5: And since no one really comes in anymore because everyone's
• 4:54
  Speaker 5: in the ball so peer from the back, like people
• 4:55
  Speaker 5: don't pass that great, especially if you can stick the
• 4:58
  Speaker 5: first volley.
• 4:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, of mind, you hit a couple of goals exactly.
• 5:02
  Speaker 5: So it's it's it's been working, and believe it, I'm
• 5:06
  Speaker 5: gonna keep coming.
• 5:07
  Speaker 4: It must be an America thing. If Tommy Paul's coming
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: to the net. A lot of Ben Shelton comes to
• 5:10
  Speaker 4: the net. You're coming to the net and something in
• 5:12
  Speaker 4: the water in America about getting getting to the net
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: on the dirt.
• 5:18
  Speaker 6: Play like a hardcore and you've made deep runs at
• 5:21
  Speaker 6: Grand Slams, but this one, I don't know if you
• 5:23
  Speaker 6: guys feel it, but this one feels a bit different,
• 5:25
  Speaker 6: like you're coming in with a little bit of extra
• 5:28
  Speaker 6: kind of piss and vinegar for no, like what kind
• 5:31
  Speaker 6: of brought that upon you? Because it's not like you
• 5:34
  Speaker 6: had that great of a run in the play court
• 5:36
  Speaker 6: season and get here. I know about that racket break.
• 5:38
  Speaker 6: I mean, the poor ex tracket's gotta beat, and that's
• 5:40
  Speaker 6: a professional racket breaker myself. I mean, I know I
• 5:43
  Speaker 6: know how to break a good y on ex tracket,
• 5:44
  Speaker 6: that's for sure.
• 5:45
  Speaker 5: No, Like, yeah, I mean obviously haven't been a great
• 5:49
  Speaker 5: run and play at all, But I mean I guess
• 5:52
  Speaker 5: it's like man kind of get screw it and go
• 5:54
  Speaker 5: out there and be you. Like I think sometimes they
• 5:57
  Speaker 5: made a game so complicated to do as you know
• 5:59
  Speaker 5: how to do and living die.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: But I was playing way back.
• 6:04
  Speaker 5: I was trying to get hanging rallies and this and that,
• 6:05
  Speaker 5: and it's getting super down on myself after.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: Lost and lost and loss, and it's I was just like, look, man,
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: I know how to play his game.
• 6:11
  Speaker 5: I know I know what helps me win and kind
• 6:14
  Speaker 5: of gets focused on what it takes to win rather
• 6:16
  Speaker 5: than winning it to OAF and it's falling.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: It's falling right now.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: You and Tommy first two American men to get to
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: the quarterfinals in the same year since Courier in Sampras.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: We got four.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: American women tomorrow, including your girl Holly Baptiste. Are the
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: American Is there a conversation between y'all right now? Is
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: there a buzz about what's happening right now?
• 6:36
  Speaker 5: It's kind of just unspoken. I mean, we're all just
• 6:38
  Speaker 5: super happy for each other. You know a lot of texts,
• 6:41
  Speaker 5: the Reds guys hitting each other up and it's really
• 6:43
  Speaker 5: happy about each other. But we're not sitting there talking.
• 6:45
  Speaker 5: You're like, oh my god, it's crazy to get in
• 6:46
  Speaker 5: the courted like yeah and that. But I think it's
• 6:49
  Speaker 5: been incredible. I Mean, when you see guys you grow
• 6:51
  Speaker 5: up with and winning and doing stuff, you're like.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Well, this guy did I got to be able to
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: do it right.
• 6:56
  Speaker 5: And so I think it's kind of an unspoken thing.
• 6:58
  Speaker 5: But you know, Tommy heit me up right after Max,
• 7:00
  Speaker 5: like let's go congregulations.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: And you know when I saw he won earlier, like
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: we gave each other a huge hug.
• 7:06
  Speaker 5: So it's we're all's super happy each other and it's
• 7:09
  Speaker 5: genuine love.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: So hopefully we just keep rocking.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: Man And then on Haley tomorrow. I mean from the
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: d m V. The problem, she's never had a run
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: like this either. It's easier to talk about somebody else.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: What kind of pride do you have for her?
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry for her. I'm so happy for her. It's great.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: My brother's there too.
• 7:27
  Speaker 5: I mean that that that definitely means a lot to
• 7:30
  Speaker 5: you know, all of us when you've seen her grow up.
• 7:32
  Speaker 5: And I've known her since she was five years old,
• 7:34
  Speaker 5: so see her see her do this and you know,
• 7:37
  Speaker 5: starting very unbginning, just like myself. And to be able
• 7:40
  Speaker 5: to say she's now in the fourth round of the slam,
• 7:42
  Speaker 5: playing on Langment for the first time, playing someone that
• 7:45
  Speaker 5: obviously he's looked up to and played before. So hopefully,
• 7:48
  Speaker 5: hopefully she writes to the moment and uh and those
• 7:52
  Speaker 5: lights don't get too right, but I think I think
• 7:53
  Speaker 5: she'll she'll definitely show.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: Up for sure, because you took your time and you're lost.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: We are midway right now through Runa Massetti. They're probably
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: going to go five sets.
• 8:03
  Speaker 6: I think, call so thank you for sticking with me here,
• 8:07
  Speaker 6: Sam did not you're.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: Going to be watching this, I'm sure either way? What
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: how do you feel about the matchup both sides? How
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: would it be against Runa? How would be against Rssetti?
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: To be honest with you, I generally don't care. I think.
• 8:19
  Speaker 5: I mean, I hope they play really long match that's
• 8:21
  Speaker 5: for the finals.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: But either or, I mean, I don't have a problem
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: by anybody. I think.
• 8:28
  Speaker 5: I think once you get to like, you know, the
• 8:29
  Speaker 5: quarters and stuff like that, is to kind of bring
• 8:31
  Speaker 5: on anybody who comes. It's I don't really have a preference.
• 8:35
  Speaker 5: I think I think my game style and how I play,
• 8:37
  Speaker 5: I think I can affect both guys nicely, So I
• 8:40
  Speaker 5: really I generally have.
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: No one way or another.
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: It sounds like Mussetti he wants to.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: Big full this.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: You haven't lost a set and we were worried is
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: you were never going to make it to our set?
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: So We're so happy that they get to see the
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: Big Four. It's the real Big four right here.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: The congratulations Big Foe. Onto the quarterfinal statement.