“Truly wonderful,” Frances Tiafoe forgoes cookies in favour of a piece of the U.S. Open cake

On Wednesday, Frances Tiafoe’s coach referred to his student as “really extraordinary” for giving up his cravings for sweets like cookies and chocolates in order to improve his chances of advancing to the semifinals of the U.S. Open.

Since the year 2020, Wayne Ferreira, a native of South Africa and a former top six player who also competed in New York in 1992 and made it to the quarterfinals, has been serving as Tiafoe’s coach.

However, he said that when they first began working together, he was not instantly impressed by what he saw.

“The first intake of food was quite insufficient. The effort that was put in throughout the practises and on the court was not sufficient “Ferreira remarked Wednesday.

“He’d eat at unexpected times. He skipped breakfast rather frequently in my perspective, he lacked the necessary level of professionalism.”

After defeating Andrey Rublev of Russia in straight sets, Frances Tiafoe made history at the US Open by becoming the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2006 to go to the semifinals of the tournament.

Since he won the men’s singles title at the US Open in 2003, Andy Roddick is the first American player to ever do so.

Ferreira is under the impression that the Tiafoe narrative is made for the big screen.

Tiafoe, who is the son of immigrants from Sierra Leone, needs only two more victories to become the first African-American male to win the men’s championship in New York since Arthur Ashe in 1968.

Even if he loses in the semi-finals, it is certain that Tiafoe will enter the top 20 of the global rankings for the very first time.

“It’s a fantastic tale to tell. We can only dream that it will be turned into a movie someday. But in order to do that, he has to first win the Grand Slam “said Ferreira.

“He has a very modest attitude. A generous and loving heart to match. You’ve got to adore him. He is genuinely one of a kind.”