"Are you really taking this thing serious?" - When Steph Curry bluntly questioned Frances Tiafoe's commitment to tennis

Frances Tiafoe spoke about how NBA star Steph Curry once questioned his commitment to tennis. Curry questioned the current World No. 16's seriousness towards his sport.

Season 2 of Break Point came out in January 2024 and Tiafoe featured during the third episode, a clip of which was shared by the US Open's Twitter handle. The 26-year-old recalls a conversation he had with Steph Curry and said that the basketball great asked if he was taking tennis seriously.

Tiafoe said that Curry followed him but "wasn't really seeing him on the court". The tennis ace stated that people like the Golden State Warriors star believed in his capability and did not want him to take it for granted.

"I saw Steph Curry. He's like, 'Bro, like, you know, I respect you, I see what you're doing but I don't think you really locked in', and I was like, 'What?' He was like, 'No, for real, are you really taking this thing serious?' And he's like, 'I've seen you ever since you had your little run last year, and you're going to events, you're going here, and you're going there, you know, but I'm not really seeing you on the court lately'. I think these guys, you know, see me, and they see that I got all the ingredients to make this unbelievable story. They know I can do something special and they don't want me to play with it," Tiafoe said.

Frances Tiafoe has reached two Grand Slam semifinals and a Masters 1000 final so far in his career

Frances Tiafoe in action at the Australian Open (Image Source: Getty)

While Frances Tiafoe may not have a career that matches an elite tennis player yet, he has had some notable achievements so far. The American has won three singles titles and has reached the top 10 of the ATP rankings.

Tiafoe has reached two Grand Slam semifinals at the 2022 and 2024 editions of the US Open. He also reached his maiden Masters 1000 final in 2024, doing so at the Cincinnati Open.

Frances Tiafoe has not had the best of starts to the 2025 season, as he has won just two out of four matches. The American's first tournament was the Brisbane International, where he was seeded fourth but suffered a second-round exit at the hands of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

He next competed at the Australian Open and edged out Arthur Rinderknech 7-6(2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-3 to reach the second round. Here, the 26-year-old suffered a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6 loss to Fabian Marozsan.