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American tennis sensation Frances Tiafoe was taken aback by his own drop shot at the 2023 United Cup.
In the opening rubber of the United Cup semifinals, Jessica Pegula scored her first win over a reigning World No.1, racing past Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-2 in 71 minutes. Frances Tiafoe then defeated Poland's Kacper Zuk 6-3, 6-3 to give the United States a 2-0 lead.
Tiafoe won all four of his matches at the inaugural mixed-team tournament, losing only one set. He played an incredible drop shot to seal a point in his match against the Pole that stunned both the crowd and the American himself. He even claimed that it was the best shot he had ever hit in his life.
"That’s arguably the best shot I’ve ever hit in my life," Tiafoe said.
The 24-year-old apparently couldn't get enough of the moment and took to Instagram stories to express his feelings, writing:
"Still tryna make sense of this one."
"I didn't even know my first opponent I was supposed to play, it was a circus out there" - Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe was initially supposed to take on Poland's Daniel Michalski. However, the Pole withdrew due to illness just an hour before the start of the match, and Kacper Zuk replaced him.
Speaking of this, the American stated at his post-match press conference that he had no idea who his opponent would be. He simply opted to take the court and go with the flow.
"Yeah. I mean, I didn't even know my first opponent I was supposed to play. So when they switched it, I was, like, 'All right, great, I'm in the same position I was'. It was kind of, 'Whatever'," Tiafoe said.
"I was just going to kind of wing it and see what happens. Feel the guy out a little bit and kind of see what happens. Try to just worry about my side of the court and we'll figure it out," he added further.
He went on to claim that the noise from the crowds distracted him to a large extent, and he referred to the situation as a "circus."
"Yeah, it was a circus out there, for sure. I've never heard that kind of noise when I'm trying to play a tennis match. I have a tough time focusing regardless, so it was very tough," Tiafoe claimed.
