Frances Tiafoe makes his feelings known after surviving flu scare, vomitting in Australian Open 1R

Frances Tiafoe showed great grit and courage as he battled past a flu scare and a mid-match vomiting bout to clinch a 7-6 (2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-3 win against Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the Australian Open 2025 on Monday.

Tiafoe fell the full brunt of the Melbourne heat as he let a two-set lead slip and threw up during the grueling match. Speaking to ESPN, in the post-match on-court interview, the American said he was willing to push his body to the limit to get across the finish line.

“Any other tournament I would've pulled out, but it's a Slam and I'm in the second part of my career and these are tournaments I care about the most and whatever it takes, I was ready to full body. And if that was what's going to be…if feeling like this and having to win, (I) have a day off and I'll be all right for Wednesday. But that makes a difference in good or great,” said Tiafoe.

The seventeenth-seeded American appeared to be in full control of the match, holding on to a comfortable two-set lead, before he went down fighting in the third and fourth sets.

Frances Tiafoe struggled with the heat at the Australian Open 2025 on Monday. Source: Getty

Frances Tiafoe revealed what his coach David Witt said from the sidelines that helped him pocket the fifth and deciding set. He said:

“(He told me to) Stay in the present. Serve one game at a time. Don't think about the sixth about the game, think about the point ahead of you. I got a cheeky break there and I loosened up. I mean at 5-3 I just didn't care at all. I thought he was going to hold and put some good points. He got a little tight there and got lucky.”

Tiafoe continued that the roller-coaster match was a huge win for him.

“That’s a big win, that's a huge win. (From) feeling good and out of nowhere, feeling horrible and finding a way to win. That's massive.”

Who will Frances Tiafoe face in the Australian Open 2025 2R?

Frances Tiafoe's first-round win was sweet as he avenged his loss to Rinderknech at the Lyon Open last year. Having secured a tough win on Monday, the muscular American will have a two-day rest before he takes the court in Melbourne.

Talking about how he plans to use the two days to recover, Tiafoe said:

“A lot of ice baths, eat well and sleep a lot. I'm going to be super sore tomorrow, but two days off is huge. I usually like that at the back end of it, but right now I'll take it.”

Frances Tiafoe will face either Thiago Seyboth Wild or Fabian Marozsan in the second round.