- Frances Tiafoe paid tribute to Serena Williams as he beat Rafael Nadal at the US Open on Monday.
- He wore Williams' own "GOAT" hoodie before and after the match.
Frances Tiafoe paid tribute to Serena Williams as he beat Rafael Nadal at the US Open on Monday, wearing Williams' own "GOAT" hoodie before and after the match.
Tiafoe pulled off the shock of the tournament, defeating four-time champion Nadal 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to book a place in the quarterfinal round, a first for the 24-year-old American at Flushing Meadows.
Ahead of the match, Tiafoe stepped onto the court wearing a hoodie that listed all 23 of Williams' Grand Slam titles on the back.
The front of the hoodie – which is made by Williams' own clothing brand "S by Serena" – had "GOAT" written on it.
Tiafoe also wore the hoodie for an interview with ESPN after he beat Nadal, during which he opened up on his admiration for Williams, who played the final match of her career on Saturday.
"Obviously the GOAT, Serena Williams," Tiafoe said. "She's definitely the reason why I think I can do the things that I'm doing.
"Like, when I was younger, the reason I said to my dad that I can be a professional tennis player is seeing her and Venus battle each other. Two people who look like me and I can go and do that, it's unbelievable.
"She changed the game forever. As I said earlier, when you say her name, you say Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan.
"She's on a different stratosphere."
—ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2022
Tiafoe had long been after one of Williams' GOAT hoodies before his win over Nadal.
Williams first released the hoodie earlier in February but it quickly sold out, according to Essentially Sports. In June, Williams then posted on Instagram to say the item was back in stock.
Tiafoe shared the post to his Instagram story and wrote: "I need one."
The hoodie has since sold out again but is available to pre-order.