Tiafoe: Younger players beating Federer, Nadal, Djokovic is matter of time
In an interview with the Barcelona Open website, Frances Tiafoe praised Rafael Nadal's legacy and humanity. The American player said: "Fans admire him; he is a sportsman liked by everyone. What he does for tennis is unbelievable. He has been on the top for many years and he keeps being there; it seems time never goes on for him."
On his goals, Tiafoe added: "I know I have to go little by little, but this season I want to make a step forward on the rankings. My goal is to crack the top 10 and over time belong to this group. Barcelona is an opportunity to keep getting good results. And playing on clay excites me."
On American tennis, he added: "The tennis of my country went through a difficult time but things are changing. We have a great past and despite good players came up, no one ended up reaching the status of McEnroe, Connors, Sampras, Agassi… that's the challenge, reaching their level, setting a new (milestone) and writing a new chapter of history."
Tiafoe is the first player to have reached Barcelona to practice on the clay and he commented on the Next Generation players. "It's a very solid and talented group. Definitely the tennis players of the future. Djokovic, Federer, Nadal? Well, it's clear that they remain there, in their privileged places... But us beating them is getting closer and closer. It's a matter of time, you will have to hold patience... But that day will come," said the 22-year-old.
On Andre Agassi, Tiafoe concluded: "Besides being a great player I loved his character and personality. He is my reference point. I grew following his footsteps, watching his matches on TV. He was a hero, everyone was speaking of him."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2KIGw3w
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