Frances Tiafoe has struggled to locate his best form during the clay-court swing.
The American, ranked 21st on the ATP Tour, enjoyed a decent start to the swing, reaching the Houston Open semi-finals before losing to Tommy Paul.
However, Tiafoe’s form has dipped since travelling to Europe.
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After withdrawing from events in Monte Carlo and Madrid, Tiafoe was knocked out in the Italian Open third round by world number 126 Andrea Pellegrino.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old was defeated at the Hamburg Open by unseeded Camilo Ugo Carabelli.
Tiafoe’s form is most certainly a concern, especially with the French Open right around the corner.
Frances Tiafoe’s form is a concern heading into Roland Garros
Frances Tiafoe enjoyed his best-ever result at the 2025 French Open, defeating Pablo Carreño Busta and Sebastian Korda on his way to the quarter-finals.
There, the American was defeated by eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, 2-6, 6-4, 5-7, 2-6.
As a result, Tiafoe earned 400 ATP ranking points – points that he will defend at this year’s event.
Tiafoe is currently on 1,905 points, leaving him ranked 21st on the ATP Tour.
The concern for Tiafoe is that there are fewer than 500 points separating himself and Joao Fonseca, who is ranked 30th on the Tour.
Therefore, if Tiafoe were to suffer an early exit in Paris, he could see his ranking plummet.
With the form Tiafoe has demonstrated in recent matches, an early exit in Paris is certainly a distinct possibility.
The American, a former US Open semi-finalist, will hope to receive a kind French Open path when the draw is made on Thursday.
| 20 | Learner Tien | 1,940 | |||||||
| 21 | Frances Tiafoe | 1,905 | |||||||
| 22 | Cameron Norrie | 1,888 | |||||||
| 23 | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 1,820 | |||||||
| 24 | Arthur Rinderknech | 1,711 | |||||||
| 25 | Tomas Martin Etcheverry | 1,630 | |||||||
| 26 | Tommy Paul | 1,625 | |||||||
| 27 | Francisco Cerundolo | 1,570 | |||||||
| 28 | Jakub Mensik | 1,510 | |||||||
| 29 | Rafael Jodar | 1,461 | |||||||
| 30 | Joao Fonseca | 1,435 | |||||||
Frances Tiafoe said he found it ‘easier’ to play at the French Open than the US Open
After defeating Sebastian Korda in the third round of the 2025 French Open, Tiafoe compared the French Open and US Open, admitting that he has found it ‘easier’ to compete in Paris than at his home event.
“It’s just a different vibe. It’s more of a low-key kind of thing,” Tiafoe told reporters in Paris. “At the [US] Open, there is just so much anticipation, there is so much energy.
“Here, I feel like it’s just a workman type vibe. There are still a lot of people, and it’s the French Open and a major, but there is nothing like the [US] Open. The [US] Open is a whole different kind of beast.”
“Obviously, I have expectations from you all being at the Open, being American, I have been at two semis, and made history. But this is a different vibe.
“This is easier in a sense because I can just go and be me. There it’s like ‘you have got Ben [Shelton], are you going to be the next guy to do it?’ It’s different.
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“Rather than here after a win, it’s like ‘does it feel good to be in the fourth round?’. I’m like I’ll take those questions!”
