Frances Tiafoe opens up on ‘unacceptable’ mistake in Washington Open defeat to Ben Shelton

Frances Tiafoe wasn’t in the best of moods when he walked into the media room, which is not surprising after being knocked out of his home tournament.

Even though his press conference lacked energy, he still offered some thoughts on where things went wrong against Shelton.

Giving his general overview on the match, he said: “Yeah, just passive, man. Missed a backhand cross at 6-5, 30-All that I just never miss. A long point but still I’m on the defence in that rally and he hit a quality shot, played a great breaker.

“Then I felt like I was hanging for dear life, hanging for dear life; doubled it at 3-All; missed it; but still long games.

“But ultimately in that situation just not aggressive enough. Look, he’s a top player; I’m a top player. The window of opportunity is very small.

“I didn’t take it. I was very passive all of a sudden which you know usually I rise to that occasion. You know helped him out and then obviously such a good front-runner won the first set opened up his shoulders played great.

“Kind of unacceptable from my part. Hell of a match tonight.”

Frances Tiafoe faces potential drop in rankings

Tiafoe’s quarter-final exit at the Washington Open this year means he’ll lose ground in the rankings, falling short of last year’s semi-final appearance.

And this is only the start. The North American swing will be a demanding stretch for him, with significant points to defend from previous strong showings in Cincinnati and the US Open.

The entire tennis world knows Tiafoe has the talent to bounce back and match those results. However, his inconsistency this season raises doubts about whether he can do it right away. The 27-year-old is still chasing his first title of 2025.

This stretch of the tour has always suited Tiafoe well. But if he can’t turn things around soon, it could end up being a difficult period that sees his ranking slide further by the year’s end.