Not everything is going well in the American camp at the moment. While the trio of Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Ben Shelton has created history, Frances Tiafoe seems to be struggling at the moment. This week, Fritz, Paul, and Shelton found themselves in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, becoming the first American trio to be there since 2006. But as if to offset that win, Tiafoe has made a poor start to his grass-court campaign with an unexpected loss. And so he finds himself facing the sharp jabs of fans, just days after his triumphs at Roland Garros.
Earlier today, Tiafoe suffered a first-round loss at Queen’s Club, losing against the local star, Dan Evans, in straight sets. The American was erratic right from the word go as he lost out in straight sets 7-5, 6-2. Coming from a French Open campaign, where he reached the last eight, the early loss at Queen’s didn’t bode well for him, suffering a big blow before Wimbledon and inviting criticism from the fans.
Image Credits: Frances Tiafoe/Instagram
Traditionally speaking, Tiafoe hasn’t had the best of results on grass. His best finish at Wimbledon has just been a fourth-round appearance and he hasn’t made it to the quarters there. Last year as well, he lost in the third round of Wimbledon, continuing the poor trend on this surface. Nonetheless, with a spark now lit in American men’s tennis, much is expected of him. However, his defeat at Queen’s has not gone down well online.
Fans take digs at Frances Tiafoe
While Tiafoe is at the peak of his career, Evans has left his best behind him and is nearing his retirement. Despite this, he caused a surprise upset by knocking out Tiafoe in a dominating fashion. Thus, one fan slammed the American star, saying, “frances tiafoe really about to get 2-0 by some random 40 year old British dude.” The fan couldn’t believe that Tiafoe had lost out to 35-year-old Evans in such a manner.
Further, one of the Twitter users had a hilarious take on Tiafoe’s drubbing. Sharing the video of a newbie player making unforced errors and hitting the ball awkwardly, the fan wrote, “Frances Tiafoe at ATP Queens,” as he made a mockery of Tiafoe’s playing style against Evans today.
On the other hand, some fans were serious about the level of play Tiafoe had shown today. Such a drubbing wasn’t expected out of a player ranked so high and at the peak of his career. With things not going Tiafoe’s way, the fan said, “Frances tiafoe …. An embarrassment.” This comes at a time when the trio of Fritz, Paul, and Shelton are making their country proud by entering the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
Meanwhile, one fan pointed out why the result of the match go in Evans’ favor. It wasn’t as if the Briton had gotten anything special, just that Tiafoe wasn’t at his best. “Daniel Evans not even doing anything spectacular… Frances tiafoe just doodoo,” the fan said, slamming the American star for his no-show. Lastly, a Twitter user had a brutal suggestion for Tiafoe following his drubbing. The fan said, “Just put down your racket please Frances tiafoe and retire this is physically hurting to watch,” as he couldn’t watch an American player suffer from such humiliation.
Nonetheless, the onus now lies on Tiafoe to make a strong comeback at the Wimbledon Championships. Can he overcome the odds and succeed at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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