Frances Tiafoe recently credited Dominic Thiem for correctly predicting the American's good fortunes.
In a video by the ATP Tour asking players to predict results from the upcoming clay court season, Thiem was convinced that Tiafoe would win his first title on clay this year after consistent performances on the surface. The American proved the Austrian right by recently capturing the 2023 US Men's Claycourt Championships.
Tiafoe defeated the likes of Jason Kubler and Gijs Bouwer en route to the final and then outclassed Thomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(1), 7-6(6) to lift the title in Houston. The World No. 11 reposted the video featuring Thiem and replied to the Austrian's comments, crediting him for making the right call.
"Good call bro," Frances Tiafoe said.
In the same video, Thiem also mentioned Tiafoe's remarkable run at the 2022 Estoril Open, where he secured a second-place finish. He emphasized that the American is a great competitor and one of the best players on tour.
"Frances Tiafoe, does he have a title or not? If he doesn't have one yet, I'll go with him. I think he likes the surface, he played the final in Estoril. I think he's just a great player in general," Dominic Thiem said in an interview with ATP.
The World No. 11 is off to a decent start in the new 2023 season, amassing 19 wins from 24 matches and a title-winning run at the United Cup. Apart from his recent triumph in Houston, he also reached the semifinals at Indian Wells.
Thiem, on the other hand, has also found some much-needed form ahead of the clay court Major in May. He entered the Monte-Carlo Masters on the back of a quarterfinal run in Esrtoril and began his campaign in Monaco with a solid 6-1, 6-4 win over Richard Gasquet.
While Tiafoe opted to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters after a successful run in Houston, Thiem will be eager to battle it out against talented Danish teenager Holger Rune in the second round in Monte-Carlo. Both players will be looking to build some momentum in the next few weeks and enter the 2023 French Open high on confidence.
Frances Tiafoe expresses admiration for his girlfriend after she surprised him in Houston
Frances Tiafoe recently expressed love for his girlfriend Ayan Broomfield after the Canadian surprised him by showing up for the final in Houston. The American performed brilliantly to capture his first ATP title on the main tour since winning the 2018 Delray Beach Open.
He thanked his team on his social media account on Instagram and also credited his girlfriend for always being there to support his dreams.
"I also want to thank my team, my girlfriend Ayan who I see in the crowd at 1-0. I was like, 'I didn't even know you were in Houston, I thought you were in LA," he said. Love this girl sooo damn much. You flew in for the final without me knowing. You didn't want to miss the moment. Soo thankful for you baby my road dawg for real," Tiafoe captioned his Instagram story.