"Take your negativity" - Frances Tiafoe's girlfriend Ayan Broomfield fumes at criticism aimed at American after he makes French Open 2R amid poor form

Frances Tiafoe's girlfriend Ayan Broomfield defended the American after a critic suggested that the former World No. 10 has not been himself lately. Tiafoe survived a major scare in his French Open opener against Mattia Bellucci, needing five sets to get past the Italian qualifier

The 2022 US Open semifinalist got off to a positive start and took the first set 6-3. However, the Italian stormed back to win the next two sets 6-3, 7-6(6). The American then mounted a spirited comeback, as he ultimately went on to win the two following sets 6-4, 6-4 to progress to the second round of the French Open for just the third time in his career.

Later, Tiafoe took to social media and shared a post to celebrate his hard-fought win over Bellucci.

"Nothing good comes easy..... round 1 (green tick emoji). See y'all again tomorrow (three fist emojis). #godspeed #humble&hungry #darkhorse," he wrote in an Instagram post.

An Instagram user commented on the post, writing:

"Man you not him right now bro you need to get some wins"

Tiafoe's girlfriend Ayan Broomfield, clearly unimpressed by the comment, replied to the user's comment and told them to take their negativity elsewhere.

"He’s been him. always him. take your negativity elsewhere (followed by two heart emojis)"

Frances Tiafoe's girlfriend Ayan Broomfield's reply to critic (Source: Instagram/Frances Tiafoe)

Frances Tiafoe broke into the Top 10 of the ATP rankings in 2023 but his form has dipped in the past few months. The American won only 14 out of 31 matches since his quarterfinal finish at the US Open

As a result, his ranking has plummetted to 26th. This season, Tiafoe has played 23 matches so far, amassing 12 wins.

Frances Tiafoe set for French Open second-round clash against Denis Shapovalov

Frances Tiafoe (L) and Denis Shapovalov (R) at the 2021 National Bank Open in Toronto

Tiafoe's progress to the second round at Roland Garros helped him set up a clash against Denis Shapovalov, who defeated Luca Van Assche in his tournament opener.

Tiafoe and Shapovalov have clashed on six previous occasions on the ATP Tour, with the Canadian leading 4-2 in the head-to-head. However, the American won their last meeting 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the Canadian Open in 2021.

The winner of the match between Tiafoe and Shapovalov will go on to face either Brandon Nakashima or No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz in the third round of the French Open.