 "Serena Williams visited the US Open for the first time since her last match in 2022. She watched the action on Saturday and Sunday. AP/Reuters")
Frances Tiafoe needed no extra motivation before taking the court at the Arthur Ashe Stadium for his US Open match against Alexei Popyrin on Sunday with an unexpected pep talk from Serena Williams inspiring him like never before.
Tiafoe won 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 over Australian Popyrin to set up a quarter-final against Grigor Dimitrov after the surprise visit from 23-times major winner Williams.
“Telling me she’s always following no matter what, telling me it’s so good to see now that I’m done, you’re the guy of colour playing and doing well,” he said.
“I’m, like, damn. That’s really, really cool that she sees me as that.”
Six-time champion Williams set Flushing Meadows abuzz on Saturday when she returned to the tournament for the first time since playing her final match two years ago.
She was spotted again on Sunday, sipping the tournament’s signature “Honey Deuce” cocktail and taking in the action.
“It was really cool to have her want to talk to me before a match and really say she wants me to do this thing and that I’m capable of doing it,” said Tiafoe.
“I don’t think it will hit me like that if anybody else said it to me.”
Williams, who met a star-struck World No. 1 Iga Swiatek a day earlier, may be torn who to cheer for when Tiafoe and Dimitrov meet in the next stage, however, as she counts the Bulgarian as a long-time friend.
Dimitrov said Williams also gave him a pep talk and she was in the stands when he beat Andrey Rublev in five sets to make the last-eight.