"They are troglodytes of tennis, it was lack of respect" - Panatta on Tiafoe and Sock
ATP
Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock were heavily criticized by former ATP player Adriano Panatta after the 2022 Laver Cup.
Tiafoe and Sock defeated Roger Federer, who played his last career match alongside Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup in London. It was a special match, which was played as the last match on Friday, which was the first day of the competition.
Although Federer and Nadal won the first set of the match, they eventually lost 6-4, 6-7(2), 9-11. It was the Swiss Maestro's last match, but Tiafoe and Sock didn't approach it as such.
Tiafoe was one of the most important players who led Team World to a historic triumph at the 2022 Laver Cup. For the first time in the history of the competition, Team World defeated Team Europe, and it was also thanks to the victory that Tiafoe and Sock got by beating Federer and Nadal.
And not only tennis fans apparently didn't like that. The 1976 Roland Garros champion Adriano Panatta recently spoke about Federer's last career match, as per TennisWorldUSA.
According to the former ATP World No. 4 player, Tiafoe and Sock showed a lack of respect in Federer's last match, which Panatta didn't like at all.
"They were villains. Those two Americans continually threw full force in the face of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It was a lack of respect, and they only did this because they were unable to do anything else."
Panatta saw the American duo as "villains." While some tennis fans would agree with him, others would argue that by trying their best in Federer's match and taking it like any other match, Tiafoe and Sock showed ultimate respect to the Swiss Maestro.
"They are troglodytes of tennis but, above all, villains towards two tennis players, champions, who have made the history of this sport."
