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Frances Tiafoe overcame Swiss Dominic Stricker to seal his spot in the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon.
The World No. 10 had a slightly shaky start in the beginning as his opponent took the first set to a tie-break. He fended off four set points to ultimately win the opening set. He kept up the momentum he gained in the first set and belted out 23 aces before closing the match 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 in his favor.
In a post-match press conference, the American was asked about his thoughts on the crowd's high-energy response to his charismatic personality. Frances Tiafoe shared his excitement and stated that he had been experiencing it for the past few months.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I mean, it definitely means a lot for a guy like me. It really has been noticeable the last eight, nine months. Every match I play, doesn't matter what court, everyone is excited," Tiafoe said.
"As soon as I start getting amped up and get on a run, the crowd is really behind me. I feel like it's pretty one-sided honestly, once I'm out there playing, especially playing well," he added.
Tiafoe felt "blessed" to be receiving a positive response from the crowd at Wimbledon and hoped it would continue for years to come.
"As soon as I smile, the crowd erupts. It's crazy, but it's cool. I mean, I guess it's a blessing, and hopefully, they like me for the next 10-plus years while I keep playing," he continued.
Frances Tiafoe to clash with Grigor Dimitrov in R3 of Wimbledon 2023
Frances Tiafoe will square off against Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
The American is coming into Wimbledon after his first grass win of the season at the Stuttgart Open. He has not yet dropped a set so far in the tournament, overcoming Yibing Wu and Dominic Stricker in the first and second round, respectively.
In a post-match press conference, Frances Tiafoe recalled his last encounter with Dimitrov in the fourth round of the 2019 Australian Open.
"Haven't played him since Australian Open. That was an absolute war. We get along really well. He's super talented as well. He's made semifinals here. It's going to be a good match," he said.
Meanwhile, Dimitrov has also enjoyed straight-set victories over his opponents, Sho Shimabukoro and Ilya Ivashka in the first and second rounds of the ongoing Wimbledon. The World No. 24 is coming strong into Wimbledon after a quarterfinal finish at the Queen's Club Championships.
Both players have met thrice on-court and their head-to-head stands at 2-1 in Dimitrov's favor.
