Roger Federer He reached four decades of life, announced setbacks in his recovery in his right knee and it is unknown when he will return to the circuit. Rafael Nadal he suffered pain in his left foot again and He should have gotten off the Toronto Masters 1000. In fact, none of them occupy the top3 of the ranking. At the same time, Novak Djokovic He showed a vulnerable image of himself at the Tokyo Olympics and it was clear that it is not impossible to beat him in matches in the best of three sets. In that sense, other players are trying to step forward to fill that vacant spot. “The changing of the guard is happening“, he assured Frances Tiafoe at a press conference after his victorious debut in the Canadian pageant against Yoshihito Nishioka.
– Nadal dropped out of the tournament and there is no other member of the Big3 registered, is it the possibility for many to win their first Masters 1000?
Is Rafa okay? You never want to hear that news. However, something must be noted: the changing of the guard is happening. You see Tsitsipas playing great, Medvedev the same, Zverev won the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021. Now it is a question of who is going to take him because the tournament is open to anyone. There are many very good players, but none of them are invincible. In fact, I beat Stefanos at Wimbledon and several can have a great level any day. Also, seeing new faces and other personalities is interesting.
Tiafoe came from difficult weeks (defeat in R2 in Tokyo and in his debut in Washington, where he officiated at home). Likewise, he fell in the final instance of the Toronto qualifying round. However, fate winked at him and allowed him to enter the main draw as a lucky loser due to the loss of Sebastian Korda. “I was not in the best mentality in Qualy. I was not really in my best mental state because of everything I experienced in the last half. I needed a week off to be with my girlfriend, but I entered the tournament and I went out to have fun and it I did very well. And now I’m ready for the next game, “he said.
– His look on Denis Shapovalov, who beat him four of the five times they faced each other
I won the first match, but Denis was superior in the last four. I have to serve well and be able to dominate the rhythm of the game because he hits the ball very hard and is too aggressive with his shots. We are great friends and we tend to support each other: we make Facetime calls, we go out to dinner and I think he is one of the best players on the circuit.
– How does it feel to play in Canada?
I love this country. My girlfriend lives in Toronto and it is a city that I really like. In 2018 I had a great week, when I beat Milos (Raonic) on center court and also played great games. Also, I was a lot in my time as Junior and I had a great time.
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