Several ATP stars, including Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, unanimously agreed on Frances Tiafoe as the player they wouldn’t call in an emergency. While each had their own reasons, they all felt he wouldn’t take the situation seriously or be reliable when it mattered most.
In a lighthearted segment shared by the BBC’s official X account, a group of top ATP stars was asked who was the last player they would call if they needed help in a serious situation. The unanimous answer was Frances Tiafoe.
Reilly Opelka started it off bluntly:
“He wouldn’t answer. He wouldn’t find me. He wouldn’t know what to do.”
Taylor Fritz, despite being a close friend of Tiafoe’s, admitted:
“I love Frances, by the way, but I would never trust him with something serious.”
Jack Draper, the rising British star, shared that while he enjoys Tiafoe’s company, depending on him would be impossible:
“I don’t think he’s serious about getting the job done. Whatever we needed, he’d be having a laugh… We wouldn’t be able to look at each other without laughing.”
Ben Shelton took things a step further:
“He’d be the last person I’d call for anything I needed. Can’t hold him accountable for anything. He’s not going to answer the phone. It may take a couple of months.”
The World No. 10 also revealed a trick that could help one get through to Tiafoe.
“Unless I mention that I’m in DC or going to DC, then he might respond, so you could probably trick him into getting a response,” he said.
Frances Tiafoe also appeared in the video and, after seemingly being told the scenario, reacted with a laugh, calling the situation “crazy.”
A look at Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Frances Tiafoe’s 2025 grass season ahead of Wimbledon
Taylor Fritz has kicked off the grass season in strong form. He claimed his first title of 2025 at Stuttgart, not losing a single set, including a straight-sets win over Alexander Zverev in the final.
However, his momentum hit a snag at Queen’s, where he suffered a surprise first-round loss to Corentin Moutet. Now at Eastbourne, Fritz enters the second round after receiving a bye and will face rising Brazilian Joao Fonseca.
Ben Shelton had a promising start to the grass swing, reaching the semifinals in Stuttgart before falling to Zverev. His momentum dipped at Queen’s, losing in the opening round to Arthur Rinderknech. The American will next compete in Mallorca, where he has a first-round bye and is set to face Learner Tien in round two.
Frances Tiafoe has endured a challenging season, currently holding a 17–14 win-loss record. With limited grass-court match play, he made an early exit from Queen’s, losing to Britain’s Dan Evans in the first round.
alt=”Aliasgar Ayaz” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Pritha Ghosh