Frances Tiafoe is one of the biggest stars on the ATP Tour, particularly during the North American hard court swing.
Tiafoe has endured mixed results in 2025, with the highlight coming in his best ever run at Roland Garros when he reached the quarterfinals.
However, he was unable to continue this form into the grass court season, with Tiafoe losing in the second round of Wimbledon.
Now, as he looks to put that behind him, Tiafoe will return to hard courts ahead of the US Open, which is his best performing Grand Slam tournament.
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty ImagesFrances Tiafoe on what he finds weird about the support at the Washington Open
Tiafoe is beginning his North American hard court swing at the Washington Open, the tournament where he made his ATP Tour debut in 2014 and is making his ninth appearance this year.
The world number 11 achieved his best result in the American capital last year, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Sebastian Korda, who is unable to defend his title due to injury.
When speaking in his press conference ahead of beginning his singles campaign, Tiafoe was asked about what is different about this tournament for him compared to others.
In his response, Tiafoe admitted that he sometimes found it ‘weird’ how excited people always are to see him at the Washington Open.
“I mean, a lot of American tournaments for me for the last few years felt the same,” said Tiafoe. “When I walk on the grounds, people are ultra excited.
“But here, it’s just weird. Everywhere I go, it’s like a long homecoming. I know everyone from security and everyone and staff for so long, and everyone’s so excited to see me.
“A lot of ‘I’m proud of you’ and ‘Keep going,’ and kids and stuff. A lot of love like that. But yeah, I mean, just get bulldozed everywhere I go, which is kind of fun.”
Frances Tiafoe’s potential draw at the Washington Open
Tiafoe and Ben Shelton have already been eliminated from the doubles tournament, losing their first round match to the Australian pairing of Matthew Ebden and John Peers.
However, both still remain in the singles draw, with Tiafoe receiving an automatic bye to the second round as the sixth seed.
The 27-year-old will begin his campaign against the winner of the match between Quentin Halys and Aleksandar Kovaecevic.
Washington OpenFrances Tiafoe’s Potential DrawFirst RoundReceives a bye as the sixth seedSecond RoundQuentin Halys/Aleksandar KovacevicThird RoundFlavio Cobolli (9)/Yoshihito NishiokaQuarterfinalBen Shelton (4)/Gabriel Diallo (15)/Fabian Marozsan/Mackenzie McDonaldSemifinalTaylor Fritz (1)/Andrey Rublev (5)/Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (12)/Lorenzo Sonego (16)FinalLorenzo Musetti (2)/Holger Rune (3)/Alex de Minaur (7)/Daniil Medvedev (8)
One of the main threats in Tiafoe’s quarter is Flavio Cobolli, who could be a dark horse for the US Open after a breakout season in 2025.
His doubles partner Shelton could be a potential quarterfinal opponent for Tiafoe, with the likes of Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti also standing in the way of a first Washington Open title.