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Reilly Opelka recently made a sarcastic remark in response to Frances Tiafoe's claim that tennis is the "hardest sport in the world." Opelka suggested that pickleball reigns supreme.
Tiafoe is currently in Mexico competing at the Mexican Open in Acapulco. In his first-round match, he defeated Australia's Max Purcell 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in what was their first meeting on the ATP Tour. Tiafoe will face Germany's Dominik Koepfer in the second round.
Before his match against Purcell, Tiafoe sat down with Tennis TV and spoke about the sport. He expressed that tennis is the most challenging sport in the world. He justified this claim by highlighting the small size of the tennis ball, which requires great hand-eye coordination to play effectively.
"It's the hardest sport in the world. I still think it's the hardest sport in the world. Well A, the ball in comparison to other sports is very small. Your hand-eye [coordination] has to got to be very good," Tiafoe said.
The former World No. 10 also pointed out that tennis is not a timed sport and matches can vary in duration, making it difficult for him to make people understand the sport.
"Then there's no clock. You know, it's not a timed sport. When those guys come to watch me, they're like, 'How long is a tennis match?' I'm like: 'Sh*t I don’t know, you never know,'" he said.
Tiafoe also added that the unpredictable movement of the ball adds to the challenge of playing tennis.
"And then you know it's the uncontrollable movements, up and down, side to side. So it's tough and it's just you," Frances Tiafoe added.
In response to Frances Tiafoe's claim, Reilly Opelka sarcastically stated that Pickleball will always be the hardest for him, suggesting it is even more challenging than tennis. Opelka has been critical of the new sport, which is played with a perforated ball over a net using a paddle-like racket.
"I got pickleball at 1," Opelka commented.
Frances Tiafoe's best finish this season came at Delray Beach Open 2024
Frances Tiafoe's best performance this season was at the Delray Beach Open, where he made it to the semi-finals. He also had strong showings at the Hong Kong Open and the Dallas Open, reaching the quarterfinals in both tournaments.
At the Hong Kong Open, Tiafoe secured a spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the opening match. However, he faced a tough opponent in Juncheng Shang in the last eight, and was defeated in straight sets.
At the Dallas Open, Tiafoe started strong by defeating Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-3 in the opening match. Unfortunately, he was unable to advance further as he was defeated by Marcos Giron in the quarterfinals, losing 6-1, 6-4.
Frances Tiafoe's best result of the season came at his home tournament, the Delray Beach Open He defeated qualifier Radu Albot in the opening match and Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals to reach the semi-finals. However, he was defeated by eventual runner-up Tommy Paul in the last four.
