'It Got Taken Wrong Way': Tiafoe On Controversially Calling His Opponents 'Clowns'
ATP
The power of words is real, and Frances Tiafoe found out in an unsavory way after using a word for his opponents that was interpreted the wrong way, according to the American.
Tiafoe is a fascinating character both on and off the court. The American is a great interviewee because he doesn't sugarcoat what he says. He speaks his mind freely, and sometimes, that can be a bit too free, which has backfired on him lately.
At one point, Tiafoe used the word 'clowns' to describe his opponents, and that was taken badly by many tennis fans, as well as some of the opponents. Tennis is often called a gentlemen's sport, and some things are simply out of line.
Tiafoe belongs to the group of players that would like to innovate it, however, nobody would dare call him disrespectful. He's always shown great sportsmanship, which is why he's one of the most well-liked guys on the ATP Tour.
Even so, after he called his opponents clowns, he received serious backlash, and ahead of his participation at the 2024 Citi Open in Washington, Tiafoe explained that the remark wasn't meant seriously.
"I mean, I definitely like a bunch of team sports. People were saying way worse things. I've seen Luka Doncic in the Playoffs cursing guys out. I mean, saying way worse things and it's not that serious."
"I really didn't mean it in a bad way by any means. I use loose words like that all the time. People are going to take it how they take it. I'm super chill and cool with everybody on the tour. I didn't mean it that way at all."
In fairness, Tiafoe does hail from the United States, where thrash talking is a huge part of competitive sports. He was at the forefront of calling for more of it in tennis, believing it would improve the sport.
He was backed up by fellow Americans such as Jessica Pegula, which just shows how huge the trash talking is in the United States. After all, 'clowns', in the way Tiafoe used it, can simply mean 'guys' as in a group of people.
He didn't mean to mock anybody because that just goes against who he is as a player, and most tennis fans know that. The American also touched upon his level this year, which hasn't been very good.
He was in the Top 10 last year, but this year, his level hasn't been anywhere close to that, and he's not happy about it. However, a golden chance to turn things around is coming up in his hometown.
"I felt like I should have been doing better. Rightfully so. As I said, I was 10 in the world this time last year. I'm not going to be happy about it, what I've been doing."
"Yeah, I think it got taken the wrong way. At the same time everyone on tour was laughing with me because it's me. I think it was all good fun in the end. I think people are going to hold their hat on that for a while."
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