Bill Simons
Less than a decade ago, a bounding kid with a huge smile began to play on big stages. As the bright lights began to focus on Frances Tiafoe, who exuded joy and played with infectious spontaneity, much of tennis began to learn a simple truth: there is no business like Foe business.
Because he’s upbeat, fun-loving and always able to inspire the throng, his backers claim that when it comes to crowd appeal and gaining the favor of the often prickly locker room, Frances just might be the GOAT.
Jim Courier gushed, “Frances has got a special charisma…If you want to have fun, Frances is your guy. He’s a glass half full guy. And, by the way, the fans at the US Open always have their glasses half full…Frances is just a fabulous human being.”
Plus, on court, Tiafoe has scored many a memorable achievement. He and Jack Sock sent Roger Federer, who was playing Laver Cup doubles with Rafa, into retirement in 2022. He reached the US Open semis and cracked the top ten. Recently Tiafoe told Inside Tennis that his favorite tennis moment was beating Rafa in the fourth round at the 2022 US Open – sweet.
What was not so sweet was that despite his astonishing athleticism and all his quirky shot-making brilliance, he’d been struggling this year and said he’d been losing to “a bunch of clowns.” He was considered to be one of the best Americans to have never reached the finals of a Masters 1000 tourney.
But no more. His run to the Cincinnati Open finals this week turned his dreary season around in a heartbeat. He narrowly edged Czech Jiri Lehecka after 1 AM. Then he used his speed, dazzling backhand winners, inspired defense, the frenzy of the American crowd and manna from heaven in the form of let chords to come back from a 5-2 deficit and two match points to beat No. 15 Holger Rune, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4), setting up a Monday showdown against No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Sinner, the reigning Aussie Open champ, also scored a narrow come-from-behind third-set tiebreak win as he edged out Alexander’s Zverev, 7-6(9), 5-7, 7-6(4) in the semi. Sinner has a 3-1 record over Tiafoe, including a win in Vienna last Fall.
Many were stunned by Tiafoe’s breakout win in Cincy. This year he’d suffered a string of defeats, and his ranking had fallen to No. 29.
Yes, in July, he’d given Carlos Alcaraz his greatest Wimbledon test, and he’d reached the semis in Washington. But in the first round in Toronto, after a wretched line call, he fell to Alejandro Tabilo, who’s hardly a clown. The Chilean is ranked No. 19.
During his long slump, he wrote on a TV lens, “At times like these it helps to recall there have always been times like these.” He told Inside Tennis, “There is always light at the end of the tunnel…[so it’s] whether you either try and find it with small wins or continue to feel sorry for yourself and continue to play victim. That’s where it just gets darker and darker.”
But this week there was light. And as the JTCC product dazzled in Ohio en route to the final, many simply called him “The Cincinnati Kid.” And again, Frances took to a TV lens to speak his truth, scribbling out that eternal question, “Why not me?”
While it’s true that that there’s no business like Foe business. But unfortunately Foe’s foe in the final was the best player in the world who already had won four titles this year and was on a 42-match streak against players ranked outside the top 20. Charisma appeals, but the rankings rarely lie. The impassive No. 1 Sinner prevailed with ease 7-5, 6-2.
WILDCARD WISDOM: Wildcards can drive you crazy. The French Open wouldn’t give one to the venerable Dominic Thiem. At times it seems as if Wimbledon gives one to every Brit with a backhand.
But the US Open seems to have gotten it right this year. They awarded wildcards to four former US Open champs: Stan Wawrinka, Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Thiem, plus three young Southern Californians: Iva Jovic, Zachary Svajda and Learner Tien. Two popular Americans, the resurgent Amanda Anisimova and Chris Eubanks, also received wildcards.
PEGULA POWER: She’s from the No. 2 city in New York state, Buffalo, but was No. 1 in doubles. Jessica Pegula’s parents own the Bills, who’ve never won the Super Bowl and are infamous for missing key field goals.
Pegula has reached the quarters of six Slams without ever advancing. A hard worker who emerged late in her career, the 30-year-old had long held the No. 3 spot, but of late she’s fought injuries, changed coaches, and, at the Olympics, failed early in both singles and doubles.
But Pegula, who is now No. 6, loves the steamy summer days of the Northeast. In Toronto, in the first All-American final in the Canadian Open since Serena beat Jennifer Capriati in 2001, Jessica downed 22-year-old Amanda Anisimova to become the first player to defend her Canadian title since Martina Hingis in 2000.
Then in Cincy she downed the likes of Taylor Townsend, Leylah Ferandez and Paula Badosa to reach the finals, where she faced No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka. The two-time Aussie Open winner, who dismissed Iga Swiatek in straight sets, led their rivalry 4-2 over the American. Pegula hoped to become the first woman since Evonne Goolagong in 1971 to win the Canadian and Cincinnati Opens back-to-back. But Aryna, the best hard court player in the world, used her powerful serve and big groundies to win her 16th title 6-3, 7-5. She didn’t drop a set in the tourney and is now No. 2 in the world.
WACKY WTA: After winning the French Open, No. 1 Iga Swiatek again seemed dominant. But, once again, she faltered at Wimbledon, and then at the Olympics she suffered a teary loss to the eventual gold medalist, Zheng Qinwen, before winning a bronze.
No. 2 Coco Gauff has struggled mightily. Aryna Sabalenka had a disappointing French Open, and skipped both Wimbledon and the Olympics. But in Cincy, her 6-3, 6-3 win over Swiatek enabled her to climb back to No. 3.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Last year in the Cincy final, Novak Djokovic narrowly beat Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 7-6(7), 6-4, in what some claimed was the best three-set match in history. This year Novak didn’t enter the tourney and the usually joyous Alcaraz smashed his racket en route to an early-round loss to Gael Monfils.
COCO’S SUMMER OF SADNESS: In 2019, Coco Gauff’s debut at 15 stunned us. Her early struggles drew our attention. Last year, she took the world by storm as a 19-year-old when she won the US Open, and, goodness, she became the first tennis player ever to carry the American flag at the Olympics.
Yes, there have been plenty of tears and sleepless nights. But the kid rose all the way to No. 2 in the world. She’s as rich as can be, and she hasn’t become a prima donna or sold her soul. She speaks out – and she’s beloved.
So what’s the prob? Well, last year, after a devastating Wimbledon loss, she won in Washington and Cincinnati and then had her magical run to glory at the US Open. What a summer of love!
But this summer, there have been clouds. In the fourth round at Wimbledon she got crushed by her fellow American, Emma Navarro. She played in three different events at the Olympics. Before losing to Donna Vekic in singles, the teary Gauff complained about a line call for five minutes, saying, “I feel I’m constantly getting cheated… It happened to Serena – it happened to me.”
She left Paris without coming close to claiming a medal and things didn’t get any better. In her second match in Toronto, she fell to No. 14 Russian Diana Shnaider.
In Cincy, instead of defending her title, she gave up her opening match to the unseeded Kazakh Yulia Putintseva, losing 16 of the last 18 points in the match.
Understandably, Coco’s often problematic serve and forehand have again came under scrutiny. Perhaps more than anything, Gauff’s summer of sadness brings to mind another young fabulous African American superstar who felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles felt immense pressure, and then stepped back and took care of herself.
Clearly, this summer Coco has been under duress. She went from Wimbledon to being America’s flag bearer, to having to defend her many 2023 triumphs.
And that’s a lot to ask of anyone, let alone a 20-year-old kid.
DJOKOVIC, THE MAN WHO’S DONE EVERYTHING, SETS HIS GAZE ON THE 2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS: Novak is hardly a fellow who shies away from relishing his triumphs. He’s been basking in the glory of his incredible Olympic win, which he’s celebrated time and again with his buddies. On top of that, 100,000 fans came out to honor him and other Serbian Olympians. Djokovic, who now has virtually no holes in his singular tennis resume, announced, “I’ll try to make it to the Los Angeles Olympics.”
It’s best to not write off this timeless 37-year-old, who seems to be able to achieve just about anything he puts his mind to. Nole added, “God is great…The greatest pleasure is representing Serbia at the Olympic Games…I feel fulfilled, complete. Let’s celebrate!
WHAT’S UP, RAFA? Obviously, the iconic Nadal has had a legendary run. But the twilight of his career has had its issues. Since the 2022 Wimbledon, when he injured his hip, he’s been battling his body and suffering devastating losses.
In particular, the King of Clay has not had royal results on the surface he long dominated. He lost in the opening round of the French Open to Alexander Zverev. After healing his wounds during Wimbledon, his supposedly magical doubles partnership with Carlos Alcaraz at the Olympics ended ingloriously when they were given an unsparing doubles lesson by Americans Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
Worse yet, in what could prove to be his last singles match at his beloved Roland Garros, he was easily dismissed by Djokovic in the second round.
While Rafa is skipping the US Open, he’s slated to play the Laver Cup in Berlin in September. Could the Spanish icon possibly end his career at an indoor event that’s owned by his other arch rival, Roger Federer? Or will we somehow see him play on clay again?
COACHING CAROUSEL: The coaching carousel in tennis rarely stops spinning. But it went into overdrive this summer. Frances Tiafoe, whose ranking has slipped to No. 27, long seemed to miss the steady hand of his former coach, Wayne Ferreira. Now, he’s hired veteran David Witt, who worked with Venus and more recently Jessica Pegula.
And Stefanos Tsitsipas, the former No. 3, seemed to howl, “Father doesn’t know best!” He spoke of his dad and longtime coach Apostolos, saying, “I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback…My father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations.” Ouch.
He replaced him with a temporary coach and lost to No. 567 Kei Nishikori and Jack Draper. Stef said, “I prefer to keep my father in his role as a father, and only as a father.”
Holger Rune, 21, who has long dealt with coaching instability, again parted ways with Patrick Mouratoglou. He’s now working with Dane Kenneth Carlsen. Of course, not everyone bases their game on coaching. Roger Federer won four Slams back in 2003-2004 without a coach. Djokovic essentially is now his own coach. And Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has long traveled the circuit without a tutor. More recently, Mackie McDonald tapped his inner Lone Ranger and went to Montreal without a coach, a trainer, a physio, a massage therapist, a brand manager, a mental coach, or a spiritual adviser. He lost in the first round.
DECISIONS THAT ARE ALLERGIC TO COMMON SENSE: Deep into Alexander Zverev’s fifth-set loss against Alcaraz in the French Open final, the German was the victim of a terrible call. It changed the course of the match.
Critics asked why there isn’t Electronic Line Calling (ELC) on clay courts. Then at the Olympics, Coco Gauff had a five-minute meltdown over another problematic call. Officials didn’t consult the video.
The conventional wisdom is, “We’ve got the technology, so why not use it?” But, not so fast.
This summer, there were huge technological glitches. Hawk-Eye failed in Toronto for Frances Tiafoe, when Alejandro Tabilo hit a return long but the ball was not called out and the point continued. The ump claimed the point had progressed too far and ordered a replay. After losing the point, Tiafoe lost his composure and the match.
In Cincy, in Taylor Fritz’s match against Brandon Nakashima, there was no call on an obvious out ball. The ump said he saw the ball out but the point wouldn’t be awarded to Fritz. So, if the ball was so out, why didn’t the ump just give Taylor the point? According to an ill-conceived rule, the ump actually got it right. And, in a world of rainbows and butterflies, Nakashima could have just given Taylor the point.
Fritz told the ump, “Don’t tell me that I need to stop the point when we have electronic line calling.” Andy Roddick said the ump’s decision was “allergic to common sense.”
Then, amidst more controversy, Felix Auger-Aliassime lost his Cincy match to Jack Draper on a blown double-bounce call. Again, there was no video review.
MIRRA, MIRRA ON THE WALL, WHO’S THE BEST PROSPECT OF THEM ALL? Keep your eye on silver medalist Mirra Andreeva. In Cincy, the 17-year-old Russian, who already is well within the top 25, beat Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini, and almost downed Iga Swiatek.
DENIS THE MENACE: Not since our story titled, “Katie Volynets Nets A Big Win” or our article called, “Mardy Fish Reels in a Big Title,” have we had an easier headline to write than “Denis The Menace.” As a kid, the Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who flows with ease and is a beautiful shot maker, blasted a ball to the stands that almost took out the eye of a Davis Cup ump.
This summer he was disqualified and fined after confronting an abusive, over-the-top fan in Montreal. After being fined, he insisted the ATP should take measures to control fans who taunt players.
POPYRIN POPS UP: This summer Jasmine Paolini became the bubbly hero of players who seemed to be going nowhere fast in mid-career. She emerged big time. The scurrying Italian reached the French Open and Wimbledon finals, the French Open doubles final, and then won Olympics doubles gold. Wow!
Maybe Alexei Popyrin was inspired by the 28-year-old. The Aussie, who’s been on the circuit for six years, became the first player to beat five different top-20 players, Ben Shelton, Seb Korda, Hubie Hurcasz, Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev, to prevail in Toronto and become the first Aussie to win a Masters since Lleyton Hewitt claimed the 2003 Indian Wells title.
A TALE OF TWO BRANDONS: While President Biden (whose foes dubbed him Brandon) has stepped aside, another Brandon is rising. The San Diegan Brandon Nakashima reached the third round at Wimbledon, and in Cincy he scored two of the better back-to-back wins in his career as he downed Taylor Fritz and France’s Arthur Fils, before falling to Andrey Rublev.
