Frances Tiafoe stunned Rafael Nadal at the US Open and he opened up about what was going on in his head during the match.
Playing such a legendary player is never simple, and defeating him is even more difficult. Tiafoe detailed to Whistle what methods he did to keep himself composed enough to stave off Nadal as he attempted to come back into the match.
During the match playing against Rafa, I'm just telling myself that I'm him. A lot of times like people lose before they even walk out there. You guys were so worried about beating this 'Mount Rushmore,' this dude that you have seen growing up and play and done so many special things.
The most important part when preparing to face a player of such magnitude is not allow the moment to beat you. Tiafoe expanded more on that in the interview.
"Biggest thing, mental preparation is like not let the moment beat you. It's just another match and another opportunity to do something special. So once I got going, it was quite nice."
"To be able to play against him in general was crazy and then to beat him this year at the US Open was one of the best experiences," concluded Tiafoe.
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