Frances Tiafoe has been a familiar face on the ATP Tour for some time now.
He first broke onto the scene in 2014, aged just 16, and has gone on to carve out a strong career. Over the years, Tiafoe has made a name for himself with several impressive achievements along the way.
Those include breaking into the top 10 rankings and making two trips to the US Open semifinals.
But after a tough run in 2025, he’s now working to find his footing again and return to his best tennis.
After his most recent win, Tiafoe spoke about how much men’s tennis has evolved during his time on tour.
Frances Tiafoe shares how he’s seen men’s tennis evolve
Tiafoe came through a tough battle against Aleksandar Kovacevic, saving two match points on his way to a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7) win that put him into the quarterfinals of the Mexican Open.
With several top seeds already knocked out, this result gives Tiafoe a real chance to make a deep run in the tournament.
Speaking to Tennis TV after the match, Tiafoe was asked about his approach during those critical moments when facing match point.
He spoke about what was going through his head at the time and then touched on how he feels the depth in men’s tennis has increased over his career.
“It’s funny my coach tells me all the time, ‘Swing your returns, don’t guide them’,” said Tiafoe. “Honestly I was just trying to go hard down the line, but not that crisp and I was just trying to find backhand. When I first hit it I was like f— I missed it and then I nailed it.
“Yeah, that’s a little bit of luck obviously goes your way, but a lot of fight man. I dug and I dug…Yeah man, look you gotta back yourself; it’s tough out here.
“Rankings don’t even matter anymore; the margins are so tight. Everybody is playing so good. The depth in the men’s game is crazy from when I first started.”
“You got to be ready to die every match; otherwise you’re not going to win many matches. But I’m glad I did it.”
Tiafoe says he’s feeling more like himself after recent performance
Currently ranked 28th in the world, Tiafoe slipped out of the top 30 for the first time in four years just last month.
Despite a difficult year, Tiafoe has remained focused on his long-term goals and appears to be showing progress this week in Acapulco.
After his dramatic win over Kovacevic, he spoke about how he felt more like his old self, even while battling illness.
“It’s been tough for me, really, really tough for me,” added Tiafoe. “Putting matches together, trying to re-find the love for the game and do it the right way. I just needed a win like that.”
“Obviously I lost a tough one last week. Just trying to find wins, trying to find my game, trying to find momentum. Obviously when you take some time off, I’m starting to feel it, I didn’t play great today at all. But I didn’t get internal today, I was pretty external and just trying to figure out ways to win.
“Because there’s no excuse calling, nobody cares, nobody cares how you feel… so obviously I had a lot of factors going on but I just wanted to compete and bear down. That’s Frances Tiafoe of old that’s big so that’s where I was at mentally.”
Tiafoe will aim to carry this mentality into his quarter-final match as he chases his first ATP title since 2023.
The American faces Mattia Bellucci next—a player he has beaten in their only previous meeting.
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