For Frances Tiafoe, a hard lesson learned in QF loss to Rafael Nadal

MELBOURNE—Two days ago, Frances Tiafoe turned 21 years old. A glorious birthday it was: the enthused American reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a mature win over veteran Grigor Dimitrov. Coming on the heels of a five-set victory over Andreas Seppi, Tiafoe surely felt he’d earned all the freedoms of full adulthood.

But freedom also demands accountability. On this evening, Tiafoe faced manhood in full force, arrived in the shape of Rafael Nadal, and delivered in the form of Rafa taking one hour and 47 minutes to win this match, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

In each set, the Spaniard snatched Tiafoe’s opening service game—“good effort,” Tiafoe derided himself—and summarily dispatched him into one corner, Nadal’s racquet a windshield wiper. The Nadal forehand was a bullwhip, the bread-and-butter crosscourt sharp, the down-the-line a debilitating knockout punch. Tennis zealots know the drill. Tiafoe felt it.

“I knew if he got hold of a forehand,” he said, “it was going to be barbecued chicken.”

When it comes to preparing to play tennis’ super-geniuses, you dream about playing Roger Federer, even in defeat delighted at the chance to tell all how great it was to be dissected with such grace. You can practice for Novak Djokovic, as there are many near-facsimiles available who play the Serb’s brand of crisp, attrition-based tennis.

But nothing—no lefthander, no topspinner, no warrior—can prepare a player for what is to come versus Nadal. “I’ve never seen someone so locked in,” said Tiafoe.

The temptation is to say that Nadal was eager to send a message to a young player he was playing for the first time. But Nadal scoffed at the idea of generation gap between his longstanding peers and Tiafoe’s NextGen group.

“I play another match if they are the NextGen or not,” said Nadal. “For me what really matters is win the match and give myself a chance to be in the next round. That's the real feeling for me at this stage of my career. Is not like don't give them confidence or not. I know they are good. I know they will be fighting for the most important things during the next couple of years. I don't take it that way. I just take it like a difficult match against players that they have a lot of energy. That's all. Is another match.”

Tiafoe is blossoming into a clever, versatile and opportunistic tactician. He also enjoys the spotlight, revealed massively in prior wins this week over sixth-seeded Kevin Anderson and the 20th-seeded Dimitrov. But while those players bring ample power, their essentially flat shots fit snugly, scarcely exposing any of Tiafoe’s technical liabilities.

It was altogether different for Tiafoe versus Nadal. He labored hard to counter Nadal’s topspin, the effect of which can be akin to combing your hair for hours on end. Any technical deficiencies will be exposed in short order. Intensity plus topspin equals: Where No Contact Point Has Gone Before.

His technique significantly compromised, his body and mind under siege, admittedly flat-footed in the early stages of each set, Tiafoe was unable to press Nadal with consistency. The only two break points Tiafoe earned came with Nadal serving at 2-1 in the second set. On the first, at 30-40, Nadal went with his reliable wide serve, extracting a long backhand. On the second, Tiafoe labored hard to take his backhand early enough to thwart Nadal’s heavy drives. But here too, hardly possessed of the technique of Djokovic or such similar types as Kei Nishikori or Borna Coric, Tiafoe’s drive went inches long.

Later in that second set, Tiafoe fought off a pair of set points at 3-5, 15-40, the first with a down-the-line forehand lined into the deuce court pocket, the second by hurling a 125-m.p.h. ace into the backhand corner. It was a fine effort, but soon after, Nadal served out the 46-minute set at love.

The third set was 15 minutes shorter, Nadal breaking Tiafoe twice, the American lining a forehand into the net on match point.

Said Tiafoe, “I’m just happy this didn’t happen on my birthday.”

Kickoff each day of the 2019 Australian Open with Tennis Channel Live, reviewing the day's most important news and previewing the day's biggest matches. Watch LIVE at 6 p.m. ET.

Follow the Australian Open even closer with Tennis Channel PLUS. Go to BuyTCPlus.com and subscribe now!