Footage of Frances Tiafoe supporting Carlos Alcaraz in the locker room after the Spaniard defeated the American at the 2022 US Open has surfaced.
Alcaraz and Tiafoe played out a five-set epic during the last year's US Open semi-final, which the Spanish player eventually edged. Following the victory, Alcaraz went on to win the final by defeating Casper Ruud as the Spaniard lifted his first-ever Grand Slam title.
However, Alcaraz might owe some thanks to Tiafoe for his word of encouragement after the pair faced off in the engrossing semi-final. Rather than displaying his disappointment in defeat, Tiafoe appeared upbeat in new footage that has emerged thanks to Netflix's Break Point, which shows the American assuring Alcaraz that he will go on to win the US Open title.
"Go win this thing, you'll be No. 1 in the world, you deserve it."
It's fair to say that Alcaraz has taken Tiafoe's advice and support seriously as the Spanish player has become a staple in the ATP's top two this season. So far in the 2023 campaign, the 20-year-old has already won the Madrid Open, the Barcelona Open, Indian Wells and the Argentian Open.
Moreover, it appears that Tiafoe has given himself some positive words of advice recently as he became the first African-American player to break into the ATP top ten in 14 years recently. The American player capped his rise into the ATP elite with an impressive victory at the 2023 Stuttgart Open, where he defeated Jan-Lennard Struff in the final.
Both players have continued their preparations for Wimbledon 2023 this week at the Cinch Championships. However, the competitors have had contrasting experiences as Tiafoe was knocked out of the grass-court competition in the second round by Sebastian Korda in straight sets, while Alcaraz overcame Jiri Lehecka at Queen's to advance to the quarterfinals.
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