WATCH: Tiafoe's Washington Win Earns Praise from NBA Star Kevin Durant

| by Sebastian Dahlman

NBA superstar Kevin Durant was in the house for Frances Tiafoe's opening match at the 2023 Citi Open in Washington.

Both of those athletes come from Washington, so they naturally linked up at the event following Tiafoe's win. The basketball player is currently away from the courts as it's the off-season, but he'll soon return to hoops to prepare for the upcoming NBA season.

Tiafoe's commitment to the sport is year-round, so there is very little time for vacations, especially with the US Open looming around the corner. The American started with a win over Aslan Karatsev and held a joint on-court interview with KD after the match. Durant was glad that Tiafoe got the win and also spoke about his tennis game.

Mine is nonexistent. But there was a lot of energy in the building tonight. It was exciting, I’m glad he got the win.

Durant after the match
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Tiafoe himself referenced his own journey to tennis, something he does very often. It didn't have success written all over it but rather took years of working hard and a fair bit of luck as well. That journey is at the heart of him, always saying that people need to dream big, as well as initiatives to give back.

Think about it. I was a kid who had an opportunity and dreamed massively big. Shouldn't be doing any of these things, honestly. [I was] sneaking into this event, telling my parents I was going to be a pro at a super young age, against all odds, wearing hand-me-down clothes, holes in my shoes, cargo shorts.

Now I'm playing this tournament. People are here to see me. I'm packing it out. Doubles was nuts yesterday. Packed it out today. Guys like KD and [Kentavious] Caldwell-Pope and Gaff [Daniel Gafford] want to come see me play.

According to the draw, up next is Juncheng Shang.

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