02x03 - Friend or Foe

[bunniefuu]

[Tiafoe] I've never flown private,
I'm pretty pumped.

- [Broomfield] Yeah, one more. That's cute.
- [camera clicks]

[laughs]

[Tiafoe] It's crazy.

First time.

It's dope, bro.

Man, this is sweet. So comfortable.

No TSA.

Stuff we dreamed about as kids. Crazy.

- Yeah.
- It worked out.

- It worked out, dude.
- [both laugh]

Now you get a taste,
we have to start winning more.

[Tiafoe] 2022 turned out way better
than I even thought.

[commentator] One of the most liked
players comes up with an historic win.

The great Rafa Nadal leaves the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Open last year
changed everything, literally overnight.

For me, last year was super positive.

[commentator] Fritz,
the King in California,

and he's the first American
Men's Champion here since Agassi.

Went into the year ranked outside 20,
and finished as the top American.

But I would say
there definitely is a target on my back.

To be the number one American
is an awesome feeling,

and a serious badge of honor.

It puts you up into a different level.

But Taylor's gotta be mindful
of what's behind him as well.

Everyone wants that position.

[Tiafoe] I wanna be the best, period.

It's mano-a-mano, k*ll or be k*lled.

[Tiafoe] Fritz, I'm doing a conference
before him or with him?

[man] With him.

[Tiafoe] He'll be too serious.

Yeah, I'm just trying
to do the best I can.

You know, inspire these young guys.

Fritz, loosen it up, bro.

A lot of the kids are foreign, right?
How do they understand Frances?

- [man] They won't!
- [chuckles]

The kids are different these days.

What's the worst a kid could say?

- Yeah.
- Not gonna be bad.

- It's all gonna be fun and games.
- [cheering]

[interviewer] In your opinion,
at their age,

what's the most important thing
that they should be focusing on?

I mean, I...

[man] Help him.

All right, dude.

Hello. All right, cool. Uh...

But, obviously,
for you guys, just have fun.

You guys are so young.

[Fritz] When I look back
at my time being a junior,

that's where I met Frances
and all the other American guys.

So, it's important to enjoy
playing tournaments with all these people

that you can become close friends with.

[interviewer] Frances, Taylor,
thank you very much.

- Hey! Lift me up bro, oh, sh*t.
- [all laughing]

[Tiafoe] I met Taylor when I was 13, 14.

Definitely like to goof around with him.

[interviewer]
Why is he always teasing you?

He loves you, maybe too much.

[Tiafoe] He's very goofy.

[interviewer] He's like a brother?

- To come from... Now, yeah.
- Now.

[Fritz] When we were young,
Frances was much better than me.

He couldn't put one foot
in front of the other. He'll tell you.

[chuckling] I sucked. I was really bad
compared to them, you know.

I worked really hard
to get to where I am right now.

But someone
who wouldn't even need to work that hard,

'cause he was always
extremely talented, was Tommy Paul.

Oh, my God! Unreal.

I'm Tommy Paul, 25 years old,
and I'm from North Carolina.

If I'm one of those people
who are eating strict diets,

falling asleep at 8:30, I'll lose my mind.

[woman] 190!

[all exclaiming]

Good job, TP!

Hey, weighs a little more than me, dude.

I told you that's a unit.

Caught it on the jigging rod,
so I didn't have a belt or anything.

- So took a while.
- Superman.

- [laughs]
- [man] Crazy.

[Paul] My arm was really hurting.

Worse than five sets.

[Paul] When I was 18, I thought
I can get to the top of the game.

I had won the Junior French Open.

[commentator] He's got a big future
ahead of him, there's no doubt.

[Paul] I was a little c*ck.

I'd go on court
knowing I'm gonna win this match.

[crowd cheering]

[Paul] But then,
you make the transition to pros,

and you're like,
"All right, these guys are like gods."

[crowd gasps]

The first rounds are tough.

I didn't really take everything seriously
and I dropped back in the rankings.

- [man 1] Try a bit.
- [man 2] You gotta eat.

- Yep.
- [man chuckles]

[Paul] Fritz, and Big Foe,
had an unbelievable past year.

But it just motivates me
to do what they're doing.

I wanna move up the rankings
and get back on top.

[commentator] Welcome
to the City of Melbourne.

The AO 2023.

It's a frisson of excitement.

[Courier] The thing that's great
about arriving in Australia,

is everyone is optimistic.

Everyone's coming in fresh,
ready and hungry.

It's a blank slate.

Things are looking good for the Americans.

Tommy Paul, he's at 35.

Frances Tiafoe is number 17,

and the number one American player,
Taylor Fritz, is number nine.

For years,
I'd never been even a top 20 player.

So to take the jump into top ten,
there's always going to be more pressure.

In 2022 you did a Twitter goal checklist,

check, check, x, x.

Do you have one for this year?

I'm seeded eight, I'm at least supposed
to be making the quarter-finals.

I expect even more
than that of myself, so.

Should be easier
'cause you're seeded higher.

Hypothetically, easier. But I'm saying
the expectations are gonna go up.

I've been playing well, so I'm gonna
expect more of myself as well.

[commentator 1] Fritz,
when you look at his record

having been a quarter-finalist
at Wimbledon,

he's ready to take the next step up
into the semi-finals and beyond.

But Alexei Popyrin, 113 in the world...

overpowering the U.S. number one.

[commentator 2] Taylor hasn't had
the chance to get into the game at all.

[Fritz] It's nerve wracking to play a guy
that's ranked a lot lower.

He's got nothing to lose,

no pressure, he's playing free.

- [crowd cheering]
- [commentator 1] That's a big winner.

[commentator 2] Taylor desperately trying
to stay calm.

Looks of concern on the faces
of the Fritz camp.

[Riddle] I can tell he's super nervous.

I think the pressure of losing to someone

who statistically
you're just significantly better than,

that plays in his mind.

[announcer] Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen. Quiet, please.

[commentator 1] Popyrin prevails

in what is the biggest win
of his Grand Slam career.

[commentator 2] Taylor Fritz,
he can hardly believe it.

[Fritz] Missed a good opportunity
for me to go deep in the tournament,

and that hurt a lot.

[Tiafoe] How's he, though?

- [Riddle] Not good.
- Not good?

No. The worst I've ever seen him.

- No.
- That's what I was thinking.

[Riddle] It was bad.

[Fritz] Being the number one American,

it's definitely pretty embarrassing
losing this early.

I know if I continue to do that,

those guys will get closer
and closer to me.

- [Tiafoe grunting]
- [trainer counting]

Why film me? There's a superstar.

This guy.

Look at that smile!
Hollywood loves it, man!

[chuckles]

[Tiafoe] Since the U.S. Open,
getting used to more recognition.

People who reach out are different.

You guys can come
to any show you want. Forever.

I appreciate it.

It's insane what that tournament
did for him in his life.

Now he has brand deals
with Beats, Clif Bar,

Barclays, Stella, Yonex, Nike, Cadillac.

- [producer] Quite a few?
- Quite a few. [laughs] Yeah.

Yesterday, I felt you were
sort of bunting it around a little bit.

Yeah.

- A little passive on the swing.
- Yeah.

- Gotta be aggressive with the swing.
- Yeah.

Frances, he's gonna have to become
accustomed to being a celebrity

and having people around.

He's still gotta keep working
and getting better.

What I'm gonna do,
is we'll do a few up the line a bit...

- Yeah. Perfect.
- ...your forehand go across. Yeah.

[Ferreira] We do have conversations
about business and pleasure.

[Ferreira] Good, nice!

[Ferreira] He needs to be able to do
the business when it's time.

Otherwise, it's a problem.

[commentator 1] Now, Taylor Fritz is out,

Frances Tiafoe's the highest-ranked
American left in the tournament.

[commentator 2] I think what happened
at the U.S. Open,

it gave him a taste
of just how close he is.

But it just comes with a lot of pressure.

[Tiafoe] After the Open,
everyone's looking at me

to take it to the next level.

It's not easy.

As you rise up the ranks, you're playing
on bigger and bigger arenas,

being more and more visible.

So much hype. Doubt trickles in.

[commentator 1] Khachanov will serve
for two sets to love lead.

[grunts]

[crowd cheering]

[umpire] Game and set, Khachanov.

Khachanov leads two sets to love.

Believe, Frances,
you've got this, come on!

[commentator 1] If he wants
to win this contest,

Frances Tiafoe's
gonna have to do something tonight

that he's never done before,

and that's come
from two sets to love down.

[grunting]

[commentator 1] Sensational!

A volcanic eruption of support
for Frances Tiafoe.

[Broomfield] When the crowd's involved,
they're screaming, chanting...

Come on, Frances! Come on!

[grunts]

[crowd cheering]

...that's when he brings his best tennis.

[umpire] Six games all. Tiebreak.

[commentator 1] Can you believe
this turnaround?

Tiafoe, taking over the court now!

[Tiafoe] Flying high on confidence.

[umpire] Six-one. Tiafoe.

[Tiafoe] In my head,
I'm already in the fifth set.

[crowd chanting] Tiafoe! Tiafoe!

[umpire] Six-two. Tiafoe.

[both grunting]

- [crowd cheering]
- [umpire] Six-four.

[Tiafoe] I left that door open a little,
and he walked through.

[commentator 1] Khachanov reels off
six straight points.

Frances, he had five set points.

Karen Khachanov has an opportunity
now to close this match out.

- [crowd cheering]
- [umpire] Game, set and match, Khachanov.

[commentator] That was a brutal,
brutal way

to get bundled out of the Australian Open.

[Tiafoe] It's tough, you know, it's hard.

No free lunches out here, man.

That's the way it goes, man.

Let it settle for a while
and then we'll talk later.

No point in doing it now.

You're upset,
you should be, so take your time.

Oh, Christ!

[Tiafoe] When you look at the big picture,
what a person of color,

in a predominantly white sport
really means...

it's crazy.

Obviously, the Williams sisters
knew that for so long,

but living it yourself,
it's a whole different beast.

Definitely starts playing with you.

It's okay.

You didn't bring it today, okay, fine.

You fought your butt off.
You've gotta believe in yourself.

[commentator] Tommy Paul is playing
some tremendous tennis here so far.

[Paul] When you're playing well,

you're putting no pressure
on yourself whatsoever...

[commentator] There's been a lot to like
about Tommy Paul's game here this evening.

...you feel like you're floating
three inches off the ground.

[commentator] He's incredibly athletic.

[man] Let's go, Tommy

[commentator 1] He's got some weapons
on serve

and he's controlling this match.

And now, Tommy Paul on the verge
of a spot in the quarter-finals here.

[grunting]

- He's got it!
- [umpire] Game, set and match.

[commentator 1] And Paul
is through to the quarter-finals.

[commentator 2] He's announced himself
here at Melbourne Park.

[commentator 3] Tommy just starting
to grow

into that promise that he has given us
for a few years now.

[commentator 4] I think that's where
Brad Stine needs a lot of credit.

Stine was my coach, and he took me
from 25 in the rankings,

to two in the rankings in 52 weeks.

Brad is a no-nonsense guy.

Tommy's an immense talent,
he just didn't have direction,

he needed some help,
he found the right guy.

[Stine] Great job in the second set,

when I told you
to back up on the return a little.

Tommy mentioned to me earlier in the year,
he set a goal for himself,

he wants to be the number one
American tennis player.

I would question at times,
"How's he gonna be able to do that?"

But Tommy's working very hard
off the court,

and he has become a more mature
individual in general.

I had a drink last night
in the coolest, little spot.

Did you get f*cked up?

No, I had two drinks.

Tommy's projecting, he hasn't
had a drink the whole tournament.

Yeah.

[Stine] You not drinking beer?

Nope.

[Lorenze] Tommy was never a bad guy,

but I think he had a longer path
to get to where he is now.

[Paul] When I turned pro,
I was kind of in my party phase.

[man] Tommy, how are you feeling?

[Paul] Got a lil' money in my pocket,

and I just thought,
let's have fun, you know.

Whoo!

[Paul] Kinda got caught up in it.

I was in New York,

I had a night out drinking
and the next day,

I was supposed to play doubles.

I was not there, if you know what I mean.

Like, I couldn't even see.

[crowd] Oh!

I was getting alcohol tested
for six months.

Then I was like,
"This has gotta be rock bottom."

I knew that I had to turn
something around,

that's when I started
taking everything more seriously.

Tommy Paul. [laughs]

Oh! You actually came
in your work clothes, huh?

[Macmillan] Wild horses, baby. [laughs]

[Macmillan] I was gonna sit this one out.

I said, "I'll see you in Florida."

But, yeah, he just kept winning.

- Thank you for coming.
- How you doing?

- I'm good.
- Of course.

Wanna come in while I get ready?

- Not bathed in three days, but I'm here.
- [Paul] You serious?

[Macmillan] Went to work,
saw a few patients.

The funny thing is,
I just never went home.

I went to the airport.

I love you, kid.

He had some tough times, you know.

I remember getting some gut-wrenching
phone calls, like, "Mom, what am I doing?"

It broke my heart.

He was watching Frances
and Taylor just k*lling it.

It made him kind of doubt
if he had what it took.

But now, I'm just so thrilled
to see it coming together.

If you win, you'll have to fly her
on business class.

[Paul] That's fair.

You, got that right?

[Paul] That's fair.

[commentator 1] Good afternoon and welcome
to men's quarter-final action.

It's Tommy Paul up against a fellow
American, Ben Shelton,

what's an all-American match-up.

[commentator 2] A lot of excitement
around Shelton.

[commentator 1] He has got the drip,
as they like to say in the U.S.

[announcer] And please welcome,
Tommy Paul!

[commentator 2] It's been a bit
of a slow progress for Paul.

But he's been threatening for some time,
and this might be his big opportunity.

[Macmillan] He's put in the work and I
think he's in a different trajectory now.

He's got a great team around him.
They're like family on the road.

So I just wanna sit back
and see what he can do.

[commentator 1] That is vintage TP!

[Stine] Good job, TP. Let's go, bud!

[crowd member cheers]

[grunts]

[commentator 2] Tommy looks
incredibly relaxed here.

[Stine] Stay aggressive. Let's go.

- [umpire] Second set, Paul.
- [crowd cheering]

[Macmillan] He's never been
to a quarter-final in a Grand Slam.

So it'll be a big challenge
for Tommy to just stay focused,

dialed in into what he needs to do.

[umpire] Out!

[commentator 2] That's a rare error
from Tommy Paul.

[umpire] 15-love.

It's not an okay ball to miss, you know.

[Stine] Tommy struggles
to maintain his focus at times.

I can tell when his focus
is slipping a little bit,

and he's losing concentration.

[Paul] I've lost a decent amount
of matches,

because I'm a little spacey sometimes.

Been that way since I was little.

If there's a balloon up in the sky,
I'd be looking at it.

That was not a two-handed shot.

- What do you want me to do, man?
- [umpire] 30-15.

Now you want me to keep doing that?

[commentator 1] Not the same man

that we saw at the start of the match.

He has to be a little careful.

[umpire] Out!

[commentator 1] Ben Shelton
is not done yet!

He wins the third.

[commentator 3] Whoa. What just happened?
Tommy was in complete control.

[Paul] It's not been easy to get
to where I am now.

My mom sacrificed her time, her money,
basically her life when I was younger,

to put me where I am.

She trusted me, and believed in me

and that belief
helps me believe in myself.

- [crowd applauding]
- [Macmillan] There, Tommy!

[Paul] Now, my only thing is just focusing
on myself when I'm playing.

[Macmillan] Yeah!

[Stine] Character, TP,
character right here!

So good!

[Stine] Character counts, man.

[commentator 3] This is a very big moment
for Tommy Paul.

[Lorenze] Come on, Tommy!

[Macmillan] Grab it!

[grunts]

- Let's go!
- [crowd cheering]

[umpire] Game, set, match, Paul.

[commentator 2] The biggest win
of his career,

on one of the biggest stages in the sport.

The belief that he can go big
begins right now.

[Stine] Why were you nervous?

There was never a doubt.

[Lorenze] True. He likes
to make it interesting for us.

Wouldn't be Tommy Drama
if there wasn't some drama.

- Tommy Drama.
- Tommy Drama.

Is that his nickname?

- Never heard that one, Paige?
- No, but I love it.

[announcer] Tommy, I get the feeling

you've been waiting
for this moment a long time?

Yeah, man. [chuckles]

My mom hopped on a plane yesterday, and...

She's here?

Yeah, she's right out there.
And she got here...

She got here this morning.

[Macmillan] I got a little emotional
when he won,

just watching the roller coaster
of him getting there.

It just made me very proud.

I'm just so happy for him.

- I know. [chuckles]
- Crazy.

Oh. I started to cry for a minute.
I've gotta pull it together.

For her to come out and watch me win
in the quarter-finals of a Slam,

I think that was incredible.

[Lorenze laughs]

[Paul] Obviously, I wasn't an easy kid
to deal with.

She did a pretty good job
of making me who I am now,

so I have her fully to thank for that.

[Lorenze] I'm so proud of him.

Being able to turn it on,

change the narrative
of the match is incredible.

I think it speaks
to where he's at mentally in his career.

[Macmillan] I want him to achieve
his potential the best he's capable of,

I think he's, he's well on his way.

[commentator 1] And with that win today,
Tommy Paul has become a top 20 player.

So much to look forward to in 2023
for the American.

[commentator 2] We are ready to roll,
in the middle of the Californian desert.

Breathtaking setting
at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The spectators love it.
The players absolutely adore it.

You good? How are ya?

[commentator 2] Opportunity for the
American players on home soil.

Taylor Fritz the defending champion,
and Frances Tiafoe,

number two in the U.S. rankings.

What does he do in his free time?

Frances? Oh, my gosh.
He FaceTimes 99.9% of the day.

Everybody. His phone is always ringing.
[laughs]

Honestly, I think these next few years
are so important for Frances' career.

We had a conversation about it,
we were like, "Let's go all in with it,

and grow, to see
what we can get out of the sport."

He obviously does much better
with you, with him.

I think it just helps keep him carefree.
Everything's taken care of.

For Taylor, it's not eating McDonald's.

[chuckling] Does he eat McDonald's
all the time? Frances is Chick-fil-A.

- That's his go to?
- So bad.

[both laugh]

I feel like Frances and Taylor
are complete opposites.

So opposite.

Frances is very outgoing
and extroverted. And Taylor is shy.

[all] Three, two, one!

[all cheering]

[announcer] Wow! Check it out!

I love it.
I feel like it's just one of those things,

no matter what happens from now on,
it's like that happened

and it can never be, I guess, taken away.

So, it's incredible.

Do you think round two this year?

That's the plan.

Coming back as a defending champion
for Taylor is gonna cut one of two ways.

He's either going to remember
the confidence that he took away

from his run last year...

Clear a path, thank you.

...or he's going to start worrying about
the possible ranking drop,

if he's not able to defend that title.

[commentator] Fritz up a break
in the second set,

so all eyes on the American
to see whether he can finish the job here.

[crowd cheers]

[commentator] Taylor Fritz
in full control here.

[Fritz] After the Australian Open
where I had a bad tournament,

you start thinking, "I don't wanna lose
my number one American spot."

It's very important to me to be on top,

and the expectations,
they're put on by me.

Because, at the end of the day,
I wanna be the best.

[commentator] There it is! Taylor Fritz
gets over some second set wobbles,

and ultimately defeats the brave challenge
of Marton Fucsovics.

He's made the quarter-finals
alongside Frances Tiafoe.

[Fritz] I think Frances
has very high expectations for himself.

But I'm an extremely competitive person,
and he's coming for me.

So, in this tournament,
I need to do better than him.

- Did you take out the trash?
- [Fritz] Yeah. Crazy, right?

- That is crazy.
- [Fritz chuckles]

I can't remember the last time
you did that without me asking you.

[Fritz] Okay, well, I did it.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

[Fritz] You're welcome.

I've to give you positive affirmations,
like a puppy, that's how you do it.

[Fritz] Thank you.

Who does Frances play next?

Oh, uh, Frances plays Norrie.
That's a good match.

I think it's exciting
to have more Americans doing better.

But also puts more pressure on you.

How you feeling
being in the quarter-finals?

Not playing very well, but...

I'm in the quarters, so...

How is, um...
How is Sinner playing right now?

I think he's been playing good all year.

I think it'll be a fun match.
He's fun to watch. He's so cute.

- God.
- [chuckles] He is!

[announcer] Please welcome, Jannik Sinner!

[commentator 1] Big day
for American tennis,

the U.S. number one,
Taylor Fritz in action.

He was the King of California
this time last year.

[umpire] Point, Sinner.

[commentator 1] It's a Jannik Sinner
smoke show so far.

[umpire] Out!

[commentator 2] I feel Fritz
is not helping himself.

[commentator 1]
Big point from the Italian.

[commentator 2]
Fritz is feeling the pressure here.

[umpire] Game, set to Sinner.

[commentator 1] Brilliant from Sinner.

Kept his foot on the pedal,
taken the opener 6-4.

[Fritz] Since becoming a top player,

these really big events
are more nerve wracking,

because people expect me to win.

I think, when I feel the pressure,

I just need to have that confidence
that I've done everything,

in the lead up to my match...

and trust that, when I'm on the court,

what I do will be enough.

[umpire] 15-love.

Good serve, Taylor!

[commentator 1] The possibility
of two Americans in the last four.

Tiafoe still in the tournament.

He's got him! Fritz pounces.

[Broomfield] This guy's so good.

- It's Taylor, he's in his own world.
- [laughs]

[commentator 1] Set a piece, game on!

Tremendous defending from Fritz.

[Broomfield] Oh, my gosh.
This is a crazy level.

[commentator] Which of these two men
will hold their nerve,

book a semi-final spot?

Wow, that's too much
to handle for Fritz in this rally.

[Broomfield] No.

[commentator] The title defense
hanging by a thread.

[umpire] Game, set and match...

[commentator 1] Jannik Sinner takes down
the defending champion.

[commentator 2] Very tough
to see for Fritz.

[Fritz] I just let that one
slip away from me.

It's the ones where you know
you could've won, that hurt the most.

Frances has been coming
for my spot for a while now.

And the gap has been getting closer.

If I lose it, then there's no one else
to blame, but myself.

I'm leading the pack, baby.

I've got a great opportunity,
and I believe I can win.

[Broomfield] I liked when we were in LA,

because I liked when you got to talk
to Steph and, um...

- [Tiafoe] Steph and Draymond?
- Yeah.

[Broomfield] Frances is super cool now
with many NBA players,

and these people care about him,
and support him.

[Tiafoe] I saw Steph Curry.
He's like, "Bro, I respect you

and I seen what you're doing.
But I don't think you're locked in."

I was like, "What?" [chuckles]

He's like,
"No, are you taking this thing serious?"

He's like, "I've seen you ever since
you had your run last year,

kind of been going to events
and going here and going there."

"And I'm not seeing
you on the court like that."

I think these guys see me
and they see I got all the ingredients

to make this unbelievable story.

They know I can do something special,
and don't want me to blow it.

[Broomfield] He wants to be
in those history books.

Up there with the Ashes and the Williams.

And he's gonna work hard
until he accomplishes that.

There's a lot of great athletes
that didn't become great.

Who are you gonna be?

When I hear people talk to you like that,
that's when I'm, like, "Good,

that's what you need to hear, you know?"

They're not gonna tell you these things
if they don't believe in you,

and see something in you.

Good luck, okay? Go after it.

- [Tiafoe] All right, thank you.
- Love you!

- [Tiafoe] I love you too.
- Have a good day at work, baby!

[Tiafoe chuckles]

[commentator] The quarter-finals continue.

A big day for Frances Tiafoe,
the last remaining American in the draw.

Looking for a place in his first
masters semi-final.

Up against Cameron Norrie,


Norrie's had an incredible year so far.
He's won so many matches.

We are almost ready to roll.

[announcer] Take your seats quickly,
please, ladies and gentlemen.

Seats, please.

[Costello] What is he doing?
Where is he at?

He said five minutes, ten minutes ago.

A little too fun and games right now.

[Costello] Should I go and get him?

Why can't he just show up on time?

It's unbelievable! Every single time.

Don't have a ton of time.
When they gonna call?

[Costello] I'll go get him.

[Broomfield] The thing about Frances is,

sometimes if he's feeling
a little bit anxious,

or not great before a match,

he'll kind of go off by himself.

But he'll never say anything.

He doesn't like to make anyone
feel uncomfortable,

or, like, they have
to make him feel better.

He wants to be that trailblazer,
be that role model.

[Tiafoe] It's a lot of weight.

Everyone's looking at you,
"Okay, are you gonna do it?"

[Costello] Frances? It's 10:40.
You'd better go, dude.

[commentator] Frances Tiafoe.

If he wins today, he'll go closer
to the American number one.

[Tiafoe] We've got a great opportunity,
and I need to do this.

[umpire] Norrie to serve.

[commentator] Bit of a wobble from Tiafoe.

[umpire] Game, Norrie.

[umpire] Fault!

[Ferreira] Sometimes, Frances struggles
a bit with focus.

[crowd groans]

If things aren't going so well
at the beginning...

[umpire] Game, Norrie.

...he loses his intensity.

[Broomfield] I know he's putting
pressure on himself.

So it's really about him just showing up.

Bring that swag, Frances, come on!

It's Frances against Frances.

[commentator] That's nicely done.
Big chance here for Tiafoe.

[umpire] Game, Tiafoe.

[commentator] There we go!
A bit of American firepower.

The locals loving that forehand.

All of a sudden, it's 5-4, Tiafoe.

[umpire] Game and first set, Tiafoe.

[commentator] Never made
a masters semi-final, Tiafoe,

so this is a huge, huge match.

Especially on home soil.

[Tiafoe] Being a good tennis player
is not the end-all, do-all.

Who you are as a person,
what you represent, that's everything.

[commentator] That's quite incredible.

[Tiafoe] Diversity in tennis
is so important.

I feel like everything I do is amplified.

- [line umpire] Out!
- [chair umpire] Game, Tiafoe.

[Tiafoe] At first, it was tough.

But now, I'm ready for it.

[commentator]
Tiafoe tried to seal victory.

Yeah!

[umpire] Game, set and match, Tiafoe.
Two sets to love.

6-4, 6-4.

[commentator 1] It's a huge moment
for Frances Tiafoe.

He makes the final four
here in the desert.

[Tiafoe] I wanna be a guy
that can inspire a lot of people.

Ultimate goal is to have
a lot of people of color

playing the game of tennis.

Remember, doesn't matter
what circumstances you grew up from,

you can do something special.

[commentator 2] Tiafoe, you can see
he means business now.

[Tiafoe] The next step is a Grand Slam.

US Open Champion, Frances Tiafoe,
it's got a different ring to it.

Am I gonna do it?
I guess everyone's gotta wait and see.

Remembering last time
we were at the French together. [laughs]

It was, uh...
I don't know how to explain it.

It was sh*t. It was very, very sh*t.

[grunts]

[groaning]

[Sascha] In that moment,
I thought that's career-ending.

[commentator] Zverev taking
his first steps back

onto a clay court since that injury

up against Daniil Medvedev.

We have been rivals for ten years.
We want to still destroy each other.

[Sascha] I need one big win to break free.

[commentator] Can you believe it.

[Sascha] You question it.

Are you gonna be healthy enough
to be at your best?

Need to be ready
to play the best in the world.

This is my chance to show that I'm back.