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Frances Tiafoe has sparked outrage among tennis fans by posing with Alexander Ovechkin, the captain of the Washington Capitals NHL team. The controversy arose due to Ovechkin's support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tiafoe has been making good use of his off-season by indulging his passion for other sports. After recently attending an NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans, the American paid a visit to his hometown's hockey team, the Washington Capitals.
The World No. 16 hit the ice with the Capitals players and showed off his hockey and ice tennis skills. Later, in the locker room, he gifted the team's captain, Ovechkin, a signed tennis racquet and received a signed hockey stick and jersey in return.
Frances Tiafoe posing alongside the Russian did not sit well with tennis fans, given Ovechkin's public support for Vladimir Putin. In 2017, Ovechkin announced the 'PutinTeam' social media movement to drum up support for Putin's 2018 Russian presidential campaign.
Additionally, the Washington Capitals captain is reported to have a personal relationship with Putin, with Ovechkin having the Russian President's personal phone number and receiving a gift from him at his wedding in 2016.
One fan expressed their disappointment in the American, stating that they had lost all respect for him.
"I had a lot of respect for you on and off the court. Not anymore," the fan commented.
Other fans accused the American of turning a blind eye to Ovechkin's political beliefs in an attempt to gain more fame and attention.
"Everything for just little more fame huh?" a fan posted.
"Sometimes u just need to think twice before choosing to cloutchase," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
A brief look at Frances Tiafoe's performance at Grand Slam tournaments this season
Having played an instrumental role in USA's United Cup victory, Frances Tiafoe entered the 2023 Australian Open in exemplary form. The American kicked off his campaign by defeating Daniel Altmaier in four sets.
He then advanced to the third round after claiming a dominant win over Shang Juncheng. However, he could not advance further in the Major as he suffered a defeat to Karen Khachanov in four sets.
The 25-year-old achieved his career-best result at the French Open this season. He defeated Filip Kajinovic and Aslan Karatsev to reach the third round in Paris, where he was ousted by Alexander Zverev.
Frances Tiafoe's campaign at the Wimbledon Championships also came to an end in the third round, as Grigor Dimitrov claimed a dominant straight-sets win in the clash. The American had Yibing Wu and Dominic Stricker in the earlier rounds at SW19.
The 25-year-old enjoyed the most success at his home Slam, the US Open, this season. He secured commanding straight-set victories in the first two rounds, against Learner Tien and Sebastian Ofner.
The World No. 16 set up an all-American clash with Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal by emerging victorious over Adrian Mannarino and Rinky Hijikata. Shelton defeated his compatriot in four sets to reach his maiden Grand Slam semifinal.
Frances Tiafoe finished the year with 40 wins and 21 losses, having won two titles during the 2023 season.
