"Hats off to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andry Murray, all those guys who consistently make quarters, semis" - Frances Tiafoe

Frances Tiafoe has conveyed his admiration for the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray — the Big 4 — for being consistently good at Grand Slams over the years.

Djokovic has won an Open Era record (alongside Serena Williams) 23 Major singles titles. He has been remarkably good at all four Grand Slams, with a combined win-loss record of 354-48, giving him an 88% winning percentage.

Similarly, Nadal's win-loss record at the Majors is 314-43 (88%), Federer's is 369-60 (86%) and Murray's is 200-55 (78%).

At a 2023 US Open press conference, Tiafoe was asked to shed light on the grind tennis players go through to consistently play very good in Slams. The American, in reply, praised the Big 4 and stated that it is a "brutal" task to be consistently good.

"It's tough. It's tough. I mean, hats off to what Novak, Rafa, Fed, Murray, those guys, even guys like [Tomas] Berdych and DelPo [Juan Martin del Potro], and all those guys who consistently make quarters, semis. It's tough, man. It's not easy, bro. It two weeks. A lot of distractions. And it's just long. Like, and you got to stay in the moment for two weeks. It's brutal," he opined.

"But it's definitely worth it. A lot of hype. But I enjoy it. I think here is how I kind of want to approach all the other ones. Stop making it such a big deal. Obviously, everybody wants to do well in the slams," he added.

Tiafoe had a breakout season in 2022, with his semifinal run at the US Open being the highlight. That result also made him the first American to reach the last four at the New York Major since Andy Roddick in 2006 and the first Black American man to reach that stage after Arthur Ashe in 1972.

The 25-year-old stated that he put extra emphasis on doing well at Majors this year, which in hindsight has been the wrong move. He concluded that the best thing to do would be to go out and compete without overthinking things.

"I put so much emphasis on the Slams this year after what I did last year here in the Open, I think that was almost a detriment to me. Just go out there and do your thing. Have fun, complete hard, get the crowd involved, and let the chips fall where they may," he said.

"At the end of the day I'm 25. Whether it happens now or another time, it's okay. I think that's what Novak and those guys do. They just go out and do their thing no matter what. I think that's the best approach," he added.

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Frances Tiafoe becomes first American since Andre Agassi to reach US Open 4R in four consecutive years

Frances Tiafoe at the 2023 US Open.

Frances Tiafoe has achieved another milestone, becoming the first American since Andre Agassi (2002 to 2005) to reach at least the fourth round of the US Open for four consecutive years.

In 2020, Tiafoe defeated the likes of Andreas Seppi, John Millman, and Marton Fucsovics to reach the fourth round, where he lost in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev.

A year later, the 25-year-old got the better of Christopher Eubanks, Guido Pella, and Andrey Rublev before falling to Felix Auger Aliassime despite taking the opening set.

In 2022, Tiafoe defeated Marcos Giron, Jason Kubler, Diego Schwartzman, Rafael Nadal, and Andrey Rublev to reach the semifinals, where he lost a hard-fought five-setter against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

This year, the World No. 10 has hardly put a foot wrong in New York. He reached the fourth round with wins against Learner Tien, Sebastian Ofner, and Adrian Mannarino — dropping just one set en route. He will next face Rinky Hijikata on Sunday, September 3.