Feeling ‘homey’ in Miami, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe praise moment of American tennis

By Daniel Perisse

Florida is the place Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe call home. And playing in front of a local crowd is always an advantage for players looking for extra energy to do their best on the court.

Is playing at home an advantage? It seems to be: both have won the Delray Beach Open, a 250-level tour stop that is usually played in February, before the Sunshine Double.

Tiafoe, who lives in Boca Raton, did it in 2018, and Miami-based Fritz is the current back-to-back champion of the Palm Beach County tournament.

“I live here so it’s nice to just stay at home and have my car and be able to sleep in my bed and drive my car to the courts and stuff. It helps a lot. I feel like typically I play better at these types of conditions,” commented Taylor Fritz.

Tiafoe, who reached the quarterfinals in the Magic City in 2019, commented on the amazing atmosphere of this tournament, “It’s a very knowledgeable and diverse crowd. We’re going to be supported. Whomever, you know. It’s great to be out here playing in Miami and I hope that comes out and I can play some good tennis and win some matches”. The World No. 22 added that having a home routine – Boca is about 30 minutes from the Hard Rock Stadium – brings “confidence” to his game. “It’s a relaxing factor. You know, I kind of live my everyday life, even though it’s annoying to make your bed every morning, you know, these little house things?” Tiafoe is the No. 21 seed and awaits the winner of the match between Australia’s Christopher O’Connell and a qualifier.

Fritz, who will play his first match at the 2024 Miami Open against Jordan Thompson from Australia or Portuguese Nuno Borges, also praised the good moment of American tennis.

“I mean, it’s going really well. The first three months of the year are always really strong for Americans. For myself, especially I feel like Australia into the US swing as always, you know, like a better portion of the year for us to produce some good results,” said the No. 12 seed.

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will play their opening matches on Friday at the Hard Rock Stadium.