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Frances Tiafoe jokingly apologized to his mother and father after stating that receiving the same advice from the likes of Stephen Curry and LeBron James was "a little different."
Tiafoe is a massive basketball fan and supports the Washington Wizards in the NBA. Last month, he played and scored in an NBA All-Star celebrity match in Salt Lake City.
During a post-match press conference at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Tiafoe was asked about his love for basketball and if certain aspects of the sport helped him in tough times. The 25-year-old responded by saying that he loved basketball because of its athleticism while also stating that it brought people and cities together.
"I guess I love hoops just because of the athleticism. I guess everything around it, fashion, music, like, everyone just loves hoops. I think bringing people together, bringing cities together," Tiafoe said.
"But I think more within that, within falling in love with it, I think everyone being great at something has the same mindset no matter what you are, if you're a painter or whatever you are. There's a certain level of focus and commitment to whatever your craft is," he added.
Tiafoe also opined that when stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry say to work hard and sacrifice for success, it's a little more impactful than when his mum and dad say the same thing. The World No. 16 was quick to apologize to his parents for the remark.
"Getting to know those guys and seeing that it's not a cliche thing, it's the same message, that anyone who is great, obviously, doing your business each and every day, the sacrifice you have to make for it," Frances Tiafoe said.
"It's funny, your parents tell you the same s**t all the time, but when you hear it from Steph Curry or you hear it from LeBron, it's a little different. I'm sorry. Sorry, mom. Sorry, dad. It's a little different hearing it from them. When they tell me that, yeah, I think it's time to make some sacrifice," he added.
Frances Tiafoe reaches maiden Masters 1000 semifinal
Frances Tiafoe defeated Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 to book his place in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters, his first at the Masters 1000 level.
Tiafoe, however, has a daunting task ahead of him as he will be up against the in-form Daniil Medvedev, who registered his 18th consecutive win by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals.
It will be the fifth meeting between the pair, with the Russian winning all of their previous matches. Their most recent encounter came in the fourth round of the 2021 Miami Masters, with Medvedev winning 6-4, 6-3.
