'Tough to face' - Carlos Alcaraz lavishes praise on Frances Tiafoe after Wimbledon 2024 R3 win

Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe faced each other for the first time at the 2021 Barcelona Open.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz has lauded America’s Frances Tiafoe by stating that he’s a talented tennis star.

Alcaraz and Tiafoe faced each other in the third round of the Wimbledon 2024. In what was a rematch of the US Open 2022 semi-final, the two played a thrilling five-setter, which the 21-year-old Spaniard eventually won.

After the match, he lauded Frances Tiafoe by stating that playing against him is always a big challenge. He hailed the American as a talented payer and stated that he deserved to be at the top of the rankings.

Alcaraz also stated that adapting to Tiafoe’s playing style was a difficult task for him. However, he’s happy with the third-round round. Carlos Alcaraz said, “Obviously it’s a big challenge playing Frances. As I said many times he’s a really talented player.”

The 21-year-old further added, “Tough to face. He showed it once again that he deserves to be at the top. He deserves to fight for big things. It was really difficult for me to adapt my game find solutions and try to put him in trouble. Happy to do it at the end of the match.”

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Meanwhile, Tiafoe said, “I think this one hurts a little more than the Open. I feel like the Open I was kind of hanging on for dear life. This one was more one I thought was kind of on my racquet at times.”

Alcaraz will next face Ugo Humbert in his fourth-round match. Meanwhile, he’s expected to face Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals before eventually crossing paths with ATP World No. #1 Jannik Sinner in the semis.

Interestingly, the three-time Grand Slam champion has lost only one of his last 12 matches, which has gone into five sets. He has defeated the likes of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic in five sets. However, his only five-setter loss has come against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini. The two faced each other in the third round of the 2022 Australian Open.

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