'Rafael Nadal playing Washington is unbelievable,' says Frances Tiafoe

Raised in Hyattsville, Frances Tiafoe has always been related to the American capital. Frances made his ATP Tour debut in Washington 2014 at 16, losing to Evgeny Donskoy in straight sets after a solid effort. Seven years later, Frances will compete at the City Open again, hoping for a deep run in front of the home fans, who have always been very supportive. Also, the young American spoke about Rafael Nadal, who will make his debut in Washington on Wednesday night. When he was younger, Tiafoe watched Juan Martin del Potro and James Blake competing at the City Open. He now shares the draw with the 20-time Major champion, feeling excited about having a player of Nadal's caliber in the field. Rafa decided to take the Washington wild card after skipping Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.

Frances Tiafoe praised Rafael Nadal in Washington.

The Spaniard experienced a foot injury in the Roland Garros semi-final against Novak Djokovic, giving his best to stay in touch despite an evident struggle and falling in four sets after over four hours. Nadal couldn't train for three weeks, and there was no chance for him to play in London or Tokyo. In July, Rafa returned to the practice court at home in Mallorca and opted to enter Washington ahead of Toronto and Cincinnati, needing more matches to shape his game ahead of the season's last Major. The Spaniard is yet to win a Major this year, losing the Australian Open quarter-final to Stefanos Tsitsipas from two sets to love up. At Roland Garros, Rafa advanced to the semi-final and faced Novak Djokovic in the ultimate clash of champions. Novak claimed the pivotal points in the second and third sets and left Rafa with nothing in the tank in the fourth to deliver the Spaniard's third defeat at his favorite Major.

"You're like, 'Wow, I can maybe play with these guys one day, even be in the same locker room as these guys.' I think those experiences definitely helped me to be the man I'm today. It's just unbelievable that Rafa came here to D.C. Having a player of his caliber here is pretty legendary. The crowd will get super behind me all week. Hopefully, I can go for a nice run here. This is one of my staples of the year, so I'm ready for it," Frances Tiafoe said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3inXp2x