Was Tiafoe worth the hype ?

[Bianca V.]

Somebody tell me about the match last night ... What are his strengths ...is he as good as the hype machine says. ?????

[Star1054]

I watched most of the first set (off and on ). I thought he served well. Decent placement, decent disguise (you could not read his serve easily...or at least his opponent could not). I saw at least one serve over 110 mph (it was 113), I don't know the average speed. He did have several double faults.

He can really hit will a lot of pace (commentators had made mention of an 105 mph forehand winner). He has a big whine up swing on the forehand. Looked interesting. And when he had time he did crank some winners. But often his timing was off with it. And he needs to work on modifying his swing for the short court.

His backhand (two handed) looked good. Plenty of control, and did hit a few winners from that wing.

For his first main draw entry in a ATP event, I think he did well. I do think his instinct for the pros is not there yet. There were some poor shot selections and his opponent easy controlled many points.

And the match was quite close (just 3 breaks total).

On the Donald Young scale, he will get his first win, much quicker than young did.

[Bianca V.]

Star get down to the nitty gritty do we have a possible slam champ on our hands here ???

[Star1054]

"do we have a possible slam champ on our hands here ???"

Impossible for me to say, sorry.

He still has much development ahead. And probably a very good future, if he does not have the DY type momma problems.

He is 16 and 6'1". He can still had some inches and some weight. Let's see if he keeps his speed, endurance and flexibility.

They showed a clip of Tiafoe, hitting with Rafa at the FO this year. Let's see if he has the right people guiding him and not do something stupid.

[RU90]

http://grantland.com/features/francis-tiafoe-tennis-future/

The hype is real. He met Jay-Z and Beyonce...