Taylor Fritz emerged as the most prominent male player representing the United States at the Paris Olympics following the withdrawals of Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.
Sam Querrey, a former American tennis player, has made a significant assertion regarding the withdrawals of Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe from the Paris Olympics. The ex-Wimbledon semifinalist suggested that these dynamic American players are part of a group that opposes the Olympics.
Querrey, who has previously opted out of the Olympics to prioritize his regular schedule, stated that these players desire the Olympics to bring attention to sports other than tennis.
For many athletes, representing their country at the Paris Olympics is a cherished dream. The tennis community need not look any further than Novak Djokovic to understand this. While Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles, none of those victories elicited the same emotional response as when he secured his Olympic medal on Friday, August 2.
However, there exists a specific faction that does not wish to participate in an Olympic event. Shelton and Tiafoe are currently competing in Washington. Among the American players, Taylor Fritz held the highest seed at the Olympic Games.
Local hero Frances Tiafoe made a significant move on Friday night at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. Encouraged by an enthusiastic crowd in Washington, he achieved his first victory against a top 10 player since 2022. Tiafoe defeated top seed Andrey Rublev with a score of 6-4, 7-6(3). This triumph propelled him to the semi-finals of the ATP 500 for the first time.
The Maryland-native got off to a strong start, breaking Rublev’s serve in the middle of the first set. In the second set, he made a comeback from a 1-4 deficit to secure the victory. This tournament holds special significance for Tiafoe as he made his ATP Tour debut here in 2014.
With this win, Tiafoe now holds a 3-1 record against Rublev in their head-to-head meetings. He has climbed two spots to No. 27 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. If he manages to win his first title of 2024 on Sunday, he will re-enter the Top 25.
In the semi-finals, Tiafoe will face fellow American Sebastian Korda. The other semi-final match will feature second seed Ben Shelton against 10th seed Flavio Cobolli. The US Open semi-finalist had a thrilling victory against Denis Shapovalov, who was disqualified after making a comment to a fan. The American now boasts a 4-0 record in quarter-finals on home soil, matching his win record from 2023.
Photo by Sam Querrey Instagram
